Crazy, Millennial Love Story
by hat-and-goggles
Summary: Once upon a blackout drunk night, after five beers and some pestering from his roommate, Keith, former police officer Takashi Shirogane caves and models for the budding photographer. Keith doesn't think much of it when he posts the photos, but when they get picked up by the illustrious Allura, their boring, ordinary lives are forever turned upside down.
1. Chapter 1

"So, Shiro, would you be open to modeling for me some time?"

Shiro looked down at his beer. It had been his sixth that night, and if he was completely honest, it should be his last one before going to bed.

"No offense, but why me?" Shiro asked Keith, who was at his fifth beer of the night.

"The appropriate answer would be that I haven't done portraits in a while, and I don't want to get rusty." Keith answered, taking another swig of his beer.

"And the inappropriate answer?"

"Because you're ripped and I need more followers to make it as a photographer on the internet?"

"You're right. That is inappropriate. But, you know, you could always go back to college." Shiro chuckled as he finished his beer. Only when he looked back at Keith did he notice the man was completely serious. "Oh."

"Come on, it'll be two minutes of just snapping photos, and it could really help me get my name out." Keith almost pouted.

"Okay, fine. I'll do it. But just this once." Shiro sighed, cracking another beer open before he got up. This was gonna be a long night.

* * *

It must have been noon by the time Shiro woke up on the couch, his phone vibrating next to his head. He groaned and grabbed the device against his will, answering the call.

"Hello?" He asked groggily.

"Shiro, why is your shirtless torso all over Buzzfeed?" Matt, Shiro's best friend from the police force, now a private detective, asked him. His voice static through the telephone.

"My shirtless torso is not all over Buzzfeed, whatever Buzzfeed may be." Shiro groaned as he rubbed in his eyes.

"Really? Then how do you explain the headline 'Former Police Officer Takashi Shirogane Shows Off His Scars Shows Us That Real Beauty Can Come From Anywhere', hm?"

"KEITH!" Shiro shouted, dropping his phone to the couch.

The man, still comfortably curled up on the couch, jerked awake, nearly sending his Macbook crashing to the ground.

"What?!"

"Did you post last night's photos on the internet?"

"Mmmmmnnnnnnooooooo? Okay, yes, fine. I did." Keith admitted, looking about as guilty as he felt. Ergo, not at all. "But to be fair, I made you your own page on Instagram and I tagged and credited you in every single picture I put up on my page. Of course I posted the other half of the photos on your account and linked back to mine to help get my name out there."

"That doesn't make it better!" Shiro protested. "You could at least have kept me anonymous!"

"Shiro, we were both drunk off our asses, I don't think either of us were thinking straight. Hell, I don't remember asking you to take your shirt off." Not that Keith wasn't grateful for Shiro losing his shirt anyway. Those photos performed better than any of the others.

"Well, I don't remember _anything_!"

"Yep, I'm not getting involved in this. Good luck, boys. Matt out." Came from the abandoned phone before it clicked. Matt had hung up.

"Keith, just, please. Delete the photos and the account." Shiro said, holding out his phone to the art school drop-out.

Keith sighed and took it, scrolling through the enormous wall of likes and new followers, briefly fantasizing about what could have been before navigating to the profile settings. When suddenly, Shiro's phone dinged. A DM came in. "Holy fucking shit…"

"What?"

"Hello Takashi, I've taken a look at your photos, and I'm very impressed by your bravery. I can't imagine it was easy to post photos of your scars and prosthetic in such a public space, but I respect you all the more for it. It is one of my personal goals to promote a positive self-image among people of all ages, shapes, colors and abilities, and I believe you can help me with that mission. I hope you would be willing to meet me over coffee in the near future to discuss the details. Love, Allura." Keith read out loud.

"Who's this 'Allura' person?"

"Only the richest woman in town with roughly half a million followers on her blog and one point three million on her Instagram." Keith said, showing off the profile.

"Just tell her 'no'. I'm not interested in some rich lady taking pity in me— Oh my god, is that _her_?"

"Did I mention she's also drop-dead gorgeous?" Keith smirked as Shiro quickly snatched the phone back from him, and watched gleefully as the older man slowly typed a reply to Allura.

"Hi Allura, thanks for your kind words. I really appreciate them. I'd love to meet up with you some time. Name a time and a place, and I'll be there."


	2. Chapter 2

Shiro hadn't meant to seem desperate in his message to Allura, but it was true. He had been unemployed ever since he had his accident. His rehabilitation had given him some sort of a rhythm, and so had job hunting in the few months after, but now that he had given up on that as well, he had more time on his hands than he knew what to do with. So, unsurprisingly, Allura had suggested they meet up at Montgomery's Coffee And Pastries at noon only two days after they first started messaging.

The man had thought it would be a regular old coffee shop, like the ones where he used to treat his colleagues to donuts, but when he googled the place in order to find the address, he panicked. Shit. This place had coffee that looked like it cost three months of his pension, and he was planning to show up in a windbreaker jacket and a pair of gray sweatpants.

"Keith! I need to borrow one of your dress shirts!"

"What makes you think you can fit into my clothes?!" The other protested around his toothbrush, as he had only just gotten up.

"Nothing, it just turned out Allura invited me to this fancy café and I can't just show up in my sweatpants."

"Exactly how does that surprise you? She's loaded, Shiro."

"Please, just help me pick something that will look nice." Shiro pleaded.

Keith quirked an eyebrow, as he had never seen the man this desperate to look good for someone before. ' _He must really want to impress this girl.'_ he mused inwardly. "Just put on the only pair of jeans you own, a blank t-shirt and try to see if the jacket in the back of your closet still fits."

"Thanks, Keith!" Shiro shouted, running off to his bedroom. Only a few minutes later, he came back wearing just what Keith had suggested. "Seriously, I feel like the sleeves are gonna fall off this thing if I try to move my arms." He complained.

"No, keep it on. You wanna impress her, this is definitely going to impress her." Keith nodded, patting his shoulders. "If you ever need another 'Queer-Eye', you know where to find me. Now go, you're probably late already."

* * *

"Uh, hey." Shiro said nervously. "Sorry I'm late. It was a little further away from my place than I thought."

"That's okay, I don't mind." Allura said, smiling sweetly. Shiro blushed. This woman had the voice of an angel, and yet, she was doing unholy things to his poor little heart. The man only snapped out of his daze when a waitress approached them.

"Can I get the two of you anything?" She asked in a friendly tone.

Allura was the first to speak up. "For me a caramel macchiato, with an extra pump of vanilla and a piece of chocolate cake, please."

Shiro instantly grew nervous when the waitress' gaze fell on him. He only knew what several of the words that just came out of Allura's mouth meant. He was way out of his depth here, and it was just a fancy, cutesy coffeeshop. "C-Coffee, please…"

"Americano or espresso?" the waitress asked.

"Espresso?" Shiro tried, uncertainly. If he were completely honest, he just went with the fanciest sounding coffee in hopes of not seeming out of place.

"Alright. Coming right up." She smiled, leaving the two of them alone.

"So, Takashi—"

"Please, call me Shiro. All my friends do." Shiro interrupted her in a nervous attempt to seem more friendly.

"Of course, Shiro. Well, I asked you to come here to discuss the possibility of a collaboration between the two of us. I mean from your photos it looks to me like you're on your way to becoming a very good, unique model—"

"I'm sorry to cut in again, but… I think this is all a big misunderstanding." Shiro mumbled, looking away from her as though he felt guilty. "I'm sorry if I was leading you on, but I just wanted to tell you in person that I didn't do any of that. My roommate, he's a photographer, he made the account for me so he could get more exposure and followers. I'm so new to all of this, I'm not sure how I can help you with this." He said, putting all his cards on the table. "Honestly, I was just glad to be invited to get coffee with a woman as beautiful as you."

This time, it was Allura who blushed. "Wait, are you telling me you've never modeled before?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah… I've only ever been a cop. Modeling never even crossed my mind until my roommate kept insisting I should do it for him. You, uh, you seem surprised."

"Well, yes. In those pictures you seemed so confident, so in your element… You looked like you've been doing this for years." Allura explained.

"Well, a few bottles of beer can go a long way with me."

The woman giggled at that. "Seriously, though, I'm still interested in working with you. Would you mind if I explained my offer for you? I promise, you won't have to do it if you don't want to."

Shiro paused for a second but then nodded. "If you still want to work with me after all of that, sure." He smiled.

"Alright, so, I recently invested in this fashion label that design and make high-end, hand-sewn clothes. They recently finished their very first men's collection for the spring. They just didn't have anyone to model it for them yet."

"And you want me to model the clothes for them?"

"Exactly. Just a few photos that will be included in press releases, on their webshop and on my blog. Of course you can use them for your own social media and portfolio as well."

"Well, uh… Yeah. Sure. I'll do it." Shiro said, smiling enthusiastically. Anything to see more of this beautiful lady. "On one condition, though."

"Which would be?" Allura asked, slightly taken aback by the demand.

"I was just hoping that Keith could tag along. He's the guy who took my pictures before. I think I would just feel more comfortable with him around." Shiro said, smiling sheepishly.

"Of course." She giggled, carefully moving out of the way when the waitress showed up with their order. "So, enough business. How has life been treating you, Shiro?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Wait, you made sure I could tag along on your shoot with Allura? _The_ Allura? You just made a demand like that?!" Keith shouted at Shiro. He wasn't even angry. Confused, sure. But excited nonetheless.

"It wasn't a demand, Keith." Shiro argued, struggling to take off the tight jacket.

"You literally said 'I'll do it on one condition'. That sounds like a demand to me if I ever heard one."

"Okay, so maybe it was a bit of a demand. But what does it matter? Having you around makes me more comfortable, and with how you reacted to seeing her first message, I thought you might be excited about joining us."

"W-Well, of course I am!" Keith stammered. "I mean, she's a great photographer."

"Wait, she's a photographer now, too?" Shiro asked, slightly confused.

"Uh, yeah. She takes almost all of her photos herself, and even when she doesn't, she keeps tight direction over the photographers that take her photos for her. She has a pretty great eye for... well, everything."

"Geez Keith, if I didn't know any better I'd say you had a thing for her." The older man teased, elbowing the other in the side.

"I just really care about the art of photography, okay? Even something small like an Insta post can be beautiful, and she has it down to a damn science." Keith defended himself. "So, what else did you guys talk about? You're not usually one to stay out for five hours just to drink coffee."

"Just life stuff, I guess? You know, my time as a cop, how I got where I am today..."

"Did you tell her about the accident?" Keith asked, the concern evident in his voice.

* * *

"So, princess, how was your date?" Coran, Allura's mentor, assistant and long time father figure, asked the second she walked into the apartment, smiling knowingly.

The girl hugged him tightly. "Oh my God, he's so handsome! I could barely keep myself together!" She sighed in exasperation.

"Ah, young love. I remember when your father fawned over your mother exactly like that when he first met her." The older man chuckled. "Did he agree to do the shoot with you?"

"Yes, but reluctantly." Allura sighed. "Apparently, he's new to this, and he has next to no confidence in his looks. This might take a lot of coaching." She said as she dropped herself to the couch.

"All the more reason to spend more time with him." Coran smiled.

"You're right!" She smiled, her energy slowly coming back. "Thanks uncle Coran. You're the best."

The man sat down next to her. "And how was the date itself?"

"It was fun, actually. He seemed to feel really out of place at first, but once he got his insecurities out of the way, he really opened up. Oh, you should have seen his scrunched up face when he found out how bitter his espresso really was." Allura only sighed dreamily.

"You have it bad for him, don't you?"

"Yes, absolutely."


	4. Chapter 4

"I swear… I'm quitting… tomorrow…" Keith panted as he followed Shiro. His legs and lungs were burning, and for once, it wasn't caused by his habit inhaling tobacco on a regular basis.

"Stop whining and leg it, Keith." Shiro called back, sprinting roughly three feet ahead of Keith, though the gap between them was growing. "We're already late!" They had arranged with Allura to meet up at her apartment near the park where they would take the photos that afternoon.

It was only two minutes until the time they had decided to meet up, and they were still roughly five minutes removed from the apartment complex. The usually punctual Shiro did not like that one bit. He was already late for his coffee date with Allura, he would bend the laws of space and time to not be late again. That was, if he could. So, for now, he resorted to just running as fast as he could.

"Jesus, this is why I hated you jock types back in high school." Keith managed to complain before painfully crashing into the man's torso. "The fuck, Shiro?"

"We're here." The man smiled, trying to not seem the least bit exhausted, but Keith knew better once he saw the sweat run down Shiro's neck. He was just as worn out as him.

"Well, go on. Ring the doorbell." Keith huffed, nudging the other.

"Well…"

"Shiro, you can't just chicken out now!"

"Ah, excuse me, boys?" A voice interrupted them. They looked towards the now open door of the apartment complex to find Allura standing in the opening. "Would you come in?"

* * *

To say that Allura was a little bit disappointed was an understatement. This Keith Shiro had brought along was pretty. Extremely pretty. According to his Instagram bio, gay, too. Shiro himself was beautiful as well. And they were close. _So incredibly close._ It only frustrated her more.

Allura hadn't taken Shiro for a gay man when she had first met him, nor had she considered the possibility when she fantasized about the possibility of dating him. And yet, here she was, pacing around her own living room, in front of the potential boyfriend of the man of her dreams, while the man himself was getting changed in her bedroom.

She bit her acrylic thumb nail as she considered her options. On one hand, she didn't want to be a homewrecker, but on the other hand, she really, _really_ wanted to go out with Shiro. She had probably let this go too far already, she figured. This couldn't really be healthy. Maybe she should just give up.

"What are you so nervous for?" Keith asked bluntly.

Allura nearly jumped. "I… Well… I was just thinking about what you said earlier. About Shiro chickening out?" She lied through her teeth, sitting down on the couch, next to Keith.

"You're scared he won't do the shoot?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Allura nodded. "He mentioned that this is the first time he's doing something like this… I could just feel he's nervous about it."

Keith snorted. "Don't worry. It's not the shoot itself he's nervous about."

"Oh?"

"He's nervous about what you'll think of him. Look, Shiro has the biggest crush on you, and to tell you the truth, I actually have my fingers crossed that he'll man up and ask you out." Keith smiled. "He's been through a lot. He really deserves someone as nice and caring as you. If only he'd realize that himself."

Allura felt her cheeks heat up. "Wait, so you mean… You guys are not…?"

Keith laughed again, more heartily this time. "No. No, we're not. I know he's nice and hot and all, but he's really not my type. I'd say he's my 'straight best friend'."

"Oh my God." Allura giggled.

"Geez, what's taking him so long?"

* * *

The fact was, Shiro had finished changing ten minutes ago. He sighed as he looked in the mirror. Was he really doing this? What if this was all a big mistake? What if he wasn't what people wanted to see? What if he fucked up and it was his fault if this collection failed? He sighed as he traced his fingers over the raised scar on his face.

It was an eyesore to him. A reminder of a dumb mistake. He desperately wanted to hide it. He and Keith had tried everything they could, but no amount of foundation, concealer or youtube tutorials could ever effectively hide it.

He ran his hand through the tuft of prematurely graying hair on his forehead. Once upon a time, he had considered dying it, until Keith had somehow managed to convince him to keep it. He said it showed character, whatever that meant.

There was a knock on the door, and Shiro gasped as his train of thought was torn away from him.

"Shiro? Can we come in?" Allura asked.

"Ah, one second!" Shiro panicked, quickly picking a scarf off the bed and wrapping it around his neck to cover the lower half of his face. "Okay, you can come in!"

"Shiro..." Keith huffed, crossing his arms. There was a look on his face that told Shiro he saw right through him. That Keith knew exactly what he was doing. Hiding. Chickening out.

Shiro looked down, slightly hurt by Keith's look of disappointment. "I-I'm sorry, I just…"

"Actually, that was my fault." Allura spoke up. "I accidentally left my scarf out on the bed. But… it's true that it's not meant to be part of the ensemble…"

The man sighed as he took the scarf off, handing it to Allura. "It's just… the scar…" He mumbled.

"We've been over this a thousand times, Shiro. You look fine, scar or no scar." Keith sighed, crossing his arms.

"I agree." Allura smiled as she slung the scarf around her own neck.

"But… What if people don't like it? What if everyone hates it and the whole thing bombs?"

"I don't think that will happen. I have faith in the designers, and I have faith in you." Allura spoke softly, fixing the lapels of the navy jacket Shiro was wearing. "Do you trust my judgment?" She asked.

"Yes…" Shiro replied simply, blushing slightly as he watched Allura's nimble hands do their work.

"Good. Then you believe in yourself as much as I do." Allura said as she looked up to him, wearing a mischievous smile on her face. "And yes, some people won't like it, but if there's anything I've learned from my years on the internet, it's that you can't satisfy everybody. You just have to ignore the haters and do your thing."

Shiro only nodded, not sure what to say.

"Keith and I will help you. I promise. Now, shall we? The weather is still nice out."

"Yeah, let's go." Shiro smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

The weather in the park was actually quite nice for early November. The sun shone brightly, while the tall buildings surrounding the park kept the wind out.

Keith smiled at Shiro and Allura as he walked a few feet behind the two. Shiro was actually better with girls than he thought once he was actually casually chatting with them, Keith had noticed in the few years they had lived together. He grinned mischievously as he silently stopped walking and unzipped the bag hanging around his shoulder. Once there was a sufficient distance between them, and Keith was sure they wouldn't be able to hear his shutter clicking, he snapped some pictures of the two together.

* * *

"Let's start here." Allura spoke up, gesturing to a bench. "It will be simple enough." She explained as she rummaged around her bag, jostling the camera hanging from her neck. She produced a vintage book from her bag and handed it to Shiro. "Just have a seat, read this and pretend we're not here, okay?"

The man nodded and sat down with the book, 'Around The World in 80 Days'. Shiro had always enjoyed the works of Jules Verne, especially this one. He loved going out and seeing something of the world. He cautiously still dreamed of traveling the globe one day, despite the chances of him ever doing so on his police pension were extremely slim. Shiro guessed he must have gotten lost in the book, because he jolted when Allura nudged him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get sucked in." He apologized, smiling sheepishly.

"It's okay. I thought it was kind of sweet." Allura smiled as she sat down next to him and showed him the photos she had just taken of him.

Shiro blushed at her remark, but kept his eyes trained on the display on Allura's camera. "Is that really me?" He asked in disbelief. Shiro almost hadn't recognized himself in the pictures. Almost as much as he hadn't recognized himself in the photos Keith had taken of him a few weeks prior.

"Yes, it's really you." The girl smiled. "Do you understand why I wanted you for this job now?"

"I think I'm starting to. And I can't say I don't like it. Where do we go next?" He asked Allura, smiling enthusiastically. As if he didn't notice Keith in the distance, still taking pictures of the two of them.

If Shiro didn't know any better, he would have thought this was a date. In between taking photos, at least. And if he was completely honest, he still had to repeatedly tell himself that it wasn't a date. It helped, though. To the point where he managed to actually have full conversations with Allura without turning into a bumbling mess.

He quickly learned that, despite being the CEO of a business that took care of infrastructure, fashion was her true calling in life. That she had always dreamed of becoming a fashion designer, or running her own magazine. It suited her, he thought to himself. She definitely had the network to make it happen. The skills and creativity probably, too.

"How come you never pursued a career in fashion, then?" Shiro asked. "No offense, but working at your dad's company sounds like a far cry from what you really want in life..."

When Allura's smile fell, he knew he'd asked the wrong question.

"Wait, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked… You don't have to answer that."

"No, it's okay. You already shared your tragic backstory with me, it's only fair if I tell you mine." Allura said, looking up at him. She smiled sadly, her eyes glistening with tears and oh, Shiro was not equipped to deal with this.

"When I was sixteen years old, my parents were killed in an accident… And my father's company, his life's work..." Allura took a deep breath. "I had just inherited the company as my parents' sole beneficiary, and one of my father's greatest competitors was trying to buy our family out of it. And I know how much my father cared about his business and how he wanted it to stay in the family. So, Coran, his best friend and confidant, and I devised a plan that would allow him to run the company in my stead, and teach me how to do it once I finished high school and through college."

Shiro watched her carefully as she solemnly stared off into the distance. At the large tower that housed the office, Shiro noticed when he followed her line of sight. His hand hovered over her waist, unsure of whether or not to touch or embrace her. To hug her and console her, or to simply put his hand on her shoulder and support her. He ultimately decided against it, telling himself that his hand would be too cold from the November chill to be comforting to her.

"It was so frustrating how everyone on the board complained about the fact that I'd never worked at the company a day in my life before that, and I was suddenly CEO. I mean, I was sixteen! How was I supposed to have that kind of experience?! We worked our asses off, and all of that hard work was disregarded because a bunch of old men in suits thought I was 'just a teenager with a passion for fashion, riding daddy's coattails' despite him being, you know, dead." She pinched the bridge of her nose as if the thought still gave her a headache. "But as always, Coran was there to calm me down and to ground me, and we had the entire situation under control by the time I was seventeen."

"Coran, as in the assistant you mentioned?"

"He's only an assistant on paper. In reality, he is so much more than that. I mean, I literally can't remember a time when he wasn't there. And, you know, he takes over the office from me on days like these, so I can still run my blog and everything that ties in to it. He's the closest thing I have to a family right now..."

"He sounds like a great guy." Shiro smiled. "And, while it's a bit of a shame you never got to get the job you wanted, I think it's very admirable that you carry on your dad's legacy like this."

"I guess you're right." She sighed, leaning on Shiro. "I'm sorry about that rant, though. I don't usually go off like that."

"It's okay." Shiro spoke softly, blushing more and more as he felt her warmth seep through his clothes. "Did it make you feel better?" He managed to not stutter.

"A little." She smiled. "Come on, let's go find Keith and go back to my place. It's getting late. Dinner is on me, by the way."

* * *

Keith and Allura waited in the living room of Allura's apartment as Shiro changed back into his regular clothes in her bedroom. It had taken her some insisting to convince him to keep the clothes, but nevertheless, she had managed to do it. Those were the perks of the job, after all.

Shiro, as Allura learned between their bursts of taking pictures, was actually a giant nerd, a total bro, and a big softie. All in one neat, yet huge package. And boy, if that didn't only make him more charming.

Keith, on the other hand, was more of a greasy, snarky photo factory and pretty boy, though ultimately his heart was in the right place. And, you know, it was nice to know someone else was rooting her to get together with Shiro, even though in her opinion it was still too early on to ask the man out.

"Oh, by the way, Keith." Allura said as she handed him a cup of coffee. "Could you maybe send me the photos you took today? I might be able to use them."

"I-I… What?" Keith sputtered, almost spilling his coffee. "I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't take any pictures of you two together! Just the ducks in the pond and stuff." Keith shamefully denied.

Allura gave him a knowing smirk. "I never mentioned the photos were of Shiro and I together."

"Oh shit…" He mumbled, the color slightly draining from his face upon the realization he had been caught red handed.

"For real, though, you're not in trouble." She clarified. "You can do all the cropping and color grading you want before you send them over, too. I'd just really like to have them. If not for my blog, for my personal archive." Allura smiled, shrugging awkwardly

"Thank God." Keith sighed in relief, releasing a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "But yeah, I'll send the photos over as soon as I'm done editing them. Should I just use the email address on your blog?"

"Yeah, sure. How much?"

"Uh, how many?" Keith asked himself, flipping through his camera's display. "I think I snapped like two hundred photos. Do you want, like, all of them?"

"No, how much would you like me to pay you for each photo I decide to publish on my blog?" Allura asked, raising an eyebrow. ' _Has Keith seriously never been paid for a photo before?'_ She internally asked herself.

"Uh… I don't know." He shrugged. "Five bucks each and a link to my page?"

' _Nor has he ever negotiated prices before…'_ She guessed.

"Seventy each and a link to your page." She offered.

"Are you _crazy_?" Keith almost shouted. "Who even pays that much for a photo?"

"Someone who knows what their photographer is worth." Allura pointed out, crossing her arms. "And no take backs. This is what I'm paying you. No less."

"Uh… I don't really know what to say… Thanks, I guess?" He mumbled.

"You're welcome." Allura smiled, patting his back. "But I have to ask you to not post any of the photos you took today until my post goes live. After that, you're free to do with them as you like."

"I think I can manage that." Keith smiled.

"Did I miss anything?" Shiro asked as he came back from Allura's room, back in his regular jeans and t-shirt. Allura was pleased to see that he still held on to the plastic bags with the clothes from the shoot.

"Not much. I was just going over the compensation for Keith's sneaky photos, should I decide to use them. Speaking of which, since this was your first real gig as a model, you'll get your fair share as well. How about—"

"No, you don't have to." Shiro cut in. "I had a lot of fun today, you don't have to pay me for that."

"Uh, Shiro, can I just remind you that 'fun'," Keith airquoted, "doesn't pay the rent?"

"Just consider it a favor from a friend." Shiro smiled brightly as he firmly held Keith in a headlock under his arm.

"Shiro, as much I appreciate the sentiment, you're getting paid whether you like it or not." Allura chuckled. "We'll discuss your compensation later. Now, who's hungry?"

"Me!" Keith piped up.


	6. Chapter 6

Keith and Shiro had never felt this underdressed before. After that first coffee date, they should have seen it coming from a mile away that Allura wouldn't take them to, say, McDonald's, or even something slightly fancier like an Olive Garden. No, Allura took them to a restaurant that almost refused to let Keith in for not wearing a 'jacket', until both she and Keith argued to the man at the desk that his zip-up hoodie was, indeed, a jacket, and nothing ever specified what kind of jacket needed to be worn. Shiro, on the other hand, had quickly switched out his well-worn windbreaker for the navy blue blazer Allura had given him for the shoot earlier.

"I'm sorry for that whole thing earlier, Keith." Allura apologized, glancing around at the people sitting in their vicinity, a good amount of which were staring at the three of them. "I didn't mean to make it awkward."

"Awkward?" Keith asked, chuckling. "More like awesome! Did you see the look on his face when you told him that this was technically a jacket? Wiped that elitist smirk right off his face. Seriously though, thanks for standing up for my broke ass." He said, finishing the rest of his glass of wine before grabbing the bottle and refilling it.

"Just consider it a favor from a friend." Allura smiled, side-eyeing Shiro.

"I see what you did there." Keith smirked before taking a sip from his newly filled wine glass.

"Keith, could you maybe try to not get as drunk as the last time we went out? I'm a little done with carrying you home every time we go somewhere." Shiro sighed in exasperation, willfully ignoring the prior conversation for his own sake and sanity.

"I'll make an attempt." Keith lied. "Besides, it's not like you have to carry me _all the way_. We can just take the bus for like half of it."

"Keith…" He groaned.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we can find a solution by the end of the night." Allura said, reassuringly putting her hand on his. "Just relax for now, have a little fun."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" He mumbled, shyly looking away from her.

"Ah, that looks like it's our food coming our way." She beamed as she spotted a waiter walking to their table.

* * *

By the time dessert rolled around, the three of them had polished off just as many bottles of wine. Keith, after chugging a bottle and a half, was absolutely wasted. Allura, on the other hand, held her liquor much better than Keith, clocking in at one full bottle, and she was only just starting to become giggly. Shiro watched them in amusement, only having had a few glasses.

"Allura, will you hold my hair when I have to throw up?" Keith whined.

Shiro checked his watch and chuckled. 10 PM. After living together with the photographer for three years, he knew that drunk Keith ran like clockwork. He should be starting to feel the negative effects of the alcohol in his system right about now, after three hours of drinking.

"Sounds like quitter talk to me." Allura grinned as she took a sip from her glass of water.

"Says the only one drinking water at this table." Keith grumbled.

"Seriously though, don't challenge him." Shiro said, finishing his third glass of wine that night. "He'll order another bottle if it kills him. Which it probably will at this point."

"Don't talk so loud, my head is already killing me." He whined.

"Mhm, gotcha." The older man said as he harshly smacked his spoon onto the caramelized layer of burnt sugar on his crème brûleé, shattering it to bits.

"Shiroooo..."

"Try to eat your sorbet, okay Keith?" Allura said, rubbing between his shoulder blades. "The more you eat and drink now, the less the alcohol should bother you." She whispered to not further upset his headache. "And you shouldn't be so mean to him, Shiro. I'm sure he's learned his lesson by now."

"Just… trust me when I say he hasn't, and likely never will."

"Holy shit, this is good." Keith slurred as he stuffed his face with a few spoonfuls of sorbet.

Allura only chuckled.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want me to call you an Uber?" Allura asked, looking at the way Shiro was somehow managed to hold a passed out Keith upright.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home?" Shiro asked in return, smiling brightly.

"Yes, absolutely sure." She nodded. "Oh, by the way, next week on Saturday, I'm having this party. It's mostly just a networking thing, and I think it might be interesting for Keith to come, maybe getting some photography jobs. Though, after tonight, I firmly believe a chaperone isn't an unnecessary luxury with him, so…" She trailed off.

"We'll be there." Shiro said curtly. "All Keith has ever wanted is to make it as a photographer… I know it's just baby steps, but every little bit helps, right?"

"That's what I was going for."

"I'll make sure he behaves."

"Thanks." She giggled. "Good night, Shiro."

"Good night, Allura."


	7. Chapter 7

"So, did Allura say anything about the people that'd be here?" Keith asked, nervously clutching his home made business cards in the pocket of his sweater. They stood in an elevator currently going up to Allura's apartment, and he was getting second thoughts.

"She didn't name any names…" Shiro mumbled as he thought for a second. "But I'm sure that if they're Allura's friends, they're probably nice." He said as he patted Keith's back when the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened, practically pushing the boy out, up to the front door of Allura's apartment.

"Okay, but this better be good." Keith grumbled crankily as he rang the doorbell with a shaking finger.

"Keith, Shiro! You made it!" Allura beamed as she opened the door.

"Of course we did." Shiro smiled.

Keith glared up at the other man, only now becoming aware of his ulterior motive. God damn it, he couldn't believe he fell for Shiro's ploy.

"Come on in, I think Hunk just started passing out his snacks."

"Sounds like perfect timing to me." Keith joked as he sneaked past Allura. He looked back as he walked through the small hallway. Whatever Shiro and Allura had going on between them should have been the most straightforward thing in the universe. Why did the two of them have to make things so much more difficult than they necessarily had to be? Better yet, why was Keith allowing himself to apparently a be pawn in a game that should be strictly between the two of them. Before he knew it, he reached the living room, where he walked right into something, or rather, someone huge. "Oof-"

"Hey man, are you okay?" A voice asked as Keith was carefully hoisted back up to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Keith mumbled, looking up at the other man. He had dark skin and even darker hair, held back with a yellow bandana. And he was big. A full head taller than Keith and twice his width, and even though there was a healthy amount of fat on his body, Keith felt that he had next to no difficulty picking him up.

"Good." He smiled, carefully placing a tray of beautifully crafted snacks on the salon table.

"Uh, sorry I almost ruined your food..." Keith said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't worry about it, man. They're all A-OK." The man said, shooting Keith a reassuring smile. "What's your name?"

"I'm, er, I'm Keith."

"I'm Hunk. Nice meeting you." He said enthusiastically. "That guy over there is Lance, and the kid is Pidge."

Keith nodded and nervously waved at the others, who greeted him in return.

"And of course you already know Allura." Hunk smiled as she and Shiro approached from the hallway.

"Yes, he does. Sorry we got a little distracted." Allura chuckled, twirling her hair with her fingers.

"Yeah, of course you got ' _distracted'_." Keith said, giving her and Shiro a knowing smirk. "But seriously, don't be. I can take care of myself."

"As you beautifully demonstrated by walking straight into Hunk." Pidge, the smallest of the group joked.

Keith smiled. Yeah. He could see himself making friends here.

* * *

"Okay, don't say anything." Lance said, taking a sip from his drink as Keith sat down next to him. "You're in art school, aren't you?"

"Uh, yeah… I was." He mumbled. "How'd you guess?"

"You just seemed like the type. You don't look old enough to have graduated already, though. What happened? Skipped a few years?"

"I haven't. I dropped out." Keith answered simply. "I had to skip class every other so I could work to afford my tuition. I realized that was pretty fucked up, so I just quit." Keith knew Lance hadn't asked to hear his tragic backstory, and God knew this wasn't even half of it, but he supposed talking about it helped.

"Oh man… I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. It's not like it's your fault." He smiled. "So, what do you do? You don't even look old enough to be in college." He asked as he took a swig from the beer Allura had given him very reluctantly after their adventure the weekend previous.

"My major is international tourism." Lance said proudly. "I travel around a lot, so I get to go sightseeing, like, all the time. Though it's much more fun to go looking for the hidden gems, like restaurants and just really pretty spots nobody would think to visit."

"Really? That's pretty cool. Maybe you can tell me where to go when I've finally got enough cash to to on an actual vacation." Keith said, smiling more genuinely this time. Lance's enthusiasm was infectious, and rubbed off on him quickly.

"By the way, do you do, like, wedding photography?" Lance asked out of seemingly nowhere. "I mean, Allura showed off the pictures you took of her and her new model, under embargo, of course, and just… I don't know, they looked really romantic. Could you do something like that again?"

"Actually, I haven't done weddings before, but I'm willing to try if you're offering." Keith said enthusiastically.

"Ah, you're my hero! The photographer my sister hired bailed on us at the last minute." Lance sighed in relief. "Are you free next Saturday?"

Keith pretended to think for a while. Between drinking and possibly getting high if he was lucky enough to get the boyscout out of the apartment somehow, Keith's saturdays were usually devoid of plans. "Yeah, I'm free." He nodded, handing Lance one of his wonkily cut business cards. "You can just text me the place and time, and I'll make sure I'm there."

"What about pay? How much do you charge?"

He'd had a week to prepare for this, and of all things, he had completely forgotten to so much as think about his prices. "Uh… You mentioned your sister already had a photographer, right?" He tried. Lance nodded. "She can just pay me what she was going to pay the other guy." Keith said before deciding to finish off his beer, mentally giving himself a pat on the back for that save.

"Great! Then I'll tell her she won't have to go over her 3K budget."

Keith choked on his beer.

* * *

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Shiro and Katie stood in the kitchen in a Mexican standoff. Shiro still frequently called and texted with Matt and yet, he had no idea his little sister was close friends with the girl of his recent dreams.

Katie, on the other hand, was well aware that Shiro had taken up modeling. After all, she was the one who had sent Matt the article Buzzfeed had written behind Shiro's back. However, she hadn't signed up for watching him and Allura being sickeningly sweet in the doorway earlier.

"You first." Katie insisted.

"I'm here to chaperone Keith. Allura took us out for dinner last weekend, and Keith had way too much to drink."

"That's not all, is it?" She prodded, crossing her arms and cocking her hip.

"Well, it's Allura… I mean, any excuse to spend more time with her is a good one." Shiro replied simply, rubbing the back of his neck. "Your turn."

"Allura is a friend of mine. She commented on one of my #CHOOTD once and we just kind of hit it off." The teen shrugged.

"Hashtag CH… O… _What_?"

"Cryptid hunting outfit of the day." She explained.

"Oh, yeah. Matt mentioned you liked stuff like that." Shiro smiled. "Found any Bigfoots lately? Or… Big _feet_?"

Katie buried her face in her hands, muffling a frustrated scream. "I swear, you're worse at this than my dad."

"How come everyone calls you Pidge here?" The older man asked, all joking aside.

"My dad told me never to blog under my own name, because 'stranger danger'," she said, making big airquotes "so I used the nickname Matt made up for me as a pen name." She then gazed away slightly as she mumbled, "I don't know. I guess I like it more than 'Katie'..."

Shiro had never made it to being a detective, but he knew full well when he wasn't told the full truth. However, he also knew when not to keep prying, and Katie still looked uncertain about the situation.

"Well… Would you like me to call you Pidge from now on? No questions asked."

Katie, no, Pidge smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Shiro." She said with an excitement he hadn't heard from her that entire night. "By the way, my mom said Matt and I could invite someone over for Thanksgiving leftovers next Saturday, so consider this your official invitation."

"Wait, what? Why me?" He asked, brows knitted.

"Because you haven't visited us for ages…" Pidge mumbled, her voice taking on a much more desperate tone. "You used to come over to our place all the time, but I've barely seen you since the accident. I know you still call and text Matt all the time, but it's just not the same without you around. Honestly, we miss you…"

"Well…" Shiro tried, "can Keith come, too? I wouldn't wanna leave him home alone while I help you guys finish up your mom's delicious leftovers." As much as he hated to admit it, the younger man had become somewhat of a security blanket to him. It wasn't healthy, he knew, but there still were things he wasn't ready to face on his own. Visiting the Holts being one of them. 'The accident', which _he_ caused, he reminded himself, had cost their son his promising career as a city police detective. And while Shiro knew that neither Sam nor Colleen had it in them to actually do something to him, he still felt like he couldn't look them in the eye for taking Matt's dreams away from him.

"Yeah, of course." The little girl smiled brightly from the accomplishment.

Their heads whipped around when Allura entered the room. "Pidge, your brother is here to pick you up."

Pidge groaned, but started on her way outside anyway. She turned around in the doorway with a devilish smirk. "And Shiro, keep it PG while I'm gone." She let out a hearty laugh as she watched the two flush immediately, leaving the other five behind in Allura's apartment.

* * *

It was well past midnight when Shiro and Keith left Allura's place, and with the Thanksgiving weekend quickly approaching, the city grew darker and colder by the day. They watched their breaths turn into foggy clouds as they walked the dimly lit streets back to their apartment. Shiro ducked further down into his warm coat until his thickly knit infinity scarf, courtesy of Allura, covered his ears, all while Keith seemed to be doing just fine in a hoodie and a leather jacket. That boy was just always on fire.

"Was that Matt's younger sister? She changed a lot since we last saw her, didn't she?" Keith asked, effectively snapping Shiro out of his daze.

"Yeah, she did. But she's still Katie- I mean, Pidge. She said she wants to be called Pidge." He replied, still making a valiant attempt at regaining his composure.

"I guess she changed in more than one way then." Keith mused. "Hey, I got a thing next Saturday, wanna join?"

"I was actually about to tell you the same thing." Shiro said, feeling his heart growing heavy. If Keith wasn't there, who would ground him if things went south with the Holts? "But you first. What's your thing?"

"You remember Lance? The guy with the brown hair?" Keith asked.

Shiro nodded

"His sister is paying me three grant to take pictures at her wedding."

Shiro couldn't help but smile proudly at his younger roommate. "Hey, congrats on the job. I'm sure you can focus better on your photography without me around to bother you all the time."

"Trust me, if you were a bother to me, we wouldn't be living in the same apartment anymore." Keith smiled, elbowing him in the side. "But tell me, what's your thing?"

"Pidge invited me to their place to eat their Thanksgiving leftovers with them. But… I'm not sure I should go." ' _Not without you.'_ He added mentally, glancing down as he avoided eye contact with Keith.

The younger man was having none of it, though. He grabbed Shiro's face on both sides, forcing him to look him in the eye. "Shiro, go. You've been avoiding them for years, even though they have no hard feelings against you. I can't always be there with you if something happens, but you know the Holts and the Holts know you. This may be the ideal situation to help you try and take back a part of your life your PTSD has taken away from you. Trust me. Just go to their place, and you'll see nothing has changed."

"Promise?" Shiro asked, the tone in his voice and the look in his face only adding to the childlike nature of his question.

"Promise." Keith smiled, patting the other's cheek softly. "Tell you what. You bring home a slice of turkey for me, and I'll try to weasel a slice of wedding cake home for you. Deal?"

"Deal."


	8. Chapter 8

Keith huffed in annoyance as he tugged on the collar of his dress shirt. He had never been to a wedding before, but he had quickly learned that he hated wearing tuxedos with a fiery passion. Stiff shirts, wide dress pants, way uncomfortable. However, today wasn't about his comfort, he decided resolutely. No, today was about Sophia Mendes, Lance's sister, and her soon-to-be wedded partner, Jamie. Keith would be damned if he didn't deliver them his finest work yet. He sighed as he hung the strap of his camera around his neck, careful not to ruin the flower pinned to his chest, and stepped out of the chapel's men's room.

"You okay there, buddy?" Lance asked, a little too chipper for Keith's taste.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Keith replied, gazing away from the other. "I'm just a little nervous about getting everything right, I guess… I mean, this is the first time I'm doing a wedding. The suit isn't doing anything to make me more comfortable either."

"I completely understand. But you take great pictures in general, so if you just do what you always do, at what just so happens to be my sister's wedding..." He trailed off.

"Then by your logic, I should be fine." Keith nodded, smiling tentatively.

"Exactly!" Lance beamed, patting his shoulder. "Let's go, I'm sure you'll do great!"

* * *

Keith couldn't help but smile as he looked around the chapel. The entire place was decorated with bouquets of green carnations and lilac violets, bound together with white, satin ribbon tied in a knot, rather than a bow, as well as bouquets of pink and yellow tulips, tied in blue ribbon. Clever, subtle, queer imagery. He wouldn't even have noticed if Lance hadn't specifically pointed it out to him.

According to Lance's explanation, the green carnations were a popular identifier among gay men in the victorian era, while violets were often used by lesbian and bisexual women to woo one another from the 1910s until the 1950s, the white knot tying the flowers together was introduced as a symbol in support of same-sex marriage. The colors of the pieces were the same as the colors of the genderqueer pride flag, for Jamie, and the tulip bouquets made up the colors of the pansexual pride flag for Sophia.

It was cute, Keith thought. It gave him hope for the future.

He jolted when the organ started playing. It was go-time. Keith chuckled, watching Jamie's jaw growing slack through the viewfinder of his camera as the bride walked down the aisle with her father, barely managing to snap a picture of their gaping face in time, before turning to take some photos of Sophia and her dad walking her down the aisle.

The way the two looked at one another warmed his heart. He wished he had someone in his life who would look at him like that. He took another series of photos from the middle of the aisle as the two stood in front of the altar to keep them in the center of the composition as they held each other's hands and smiled oh so beautifully before they burst into a fit of giggles.

"I love you, Sophia."

"I'd sure hope so, Jamie."

* * *

"Hey, Keith." Sophia, the bride, smiled as she walked up to him, struggling to run in her creamy, off-white princess gown. The resemblance in Lance's immediate family was uncanny, he noticed. She looked just like her younger brother, but with longer hair, twisted in an intricate updo and adorned with a flower crown made of violets.

"I just wanted to thank you again for doing this on such a short notice. For a while I really thought we weren't gonna have a photographer for the wedding."

"Ah, don't worry about it." Keith smiled. "I'm just happy to help."

"So, do you do this often?" She asked curiously.

"Actually, no." He told her almost shamefully. "Truth be told, this is the first wedding I've ever been to. At all."

"What, really?" Sophia asked, a dumbfounded look on her face. "But you were such a professional with the family photos. Heck, you're probably the first photographer who _ever_ got Maria's kids to pay attention!"

"Just lucky, I guess." Keith shrugged humbly, rubbing the back of his neck. A blush creeping to his face from the avalanche of compliments.

"Well, in that case I hope you don't mind I decided to help your business along."

"Oh?" Keith asked before rapidly looking away as the bride started rummaging around in what was obviously her bra, the blush on his face only growing.

"Sorry, this designer dress is pretty and all, but it doesn't have any pockets." She apologized.

"N-no, it's okay." He stammered as she produced a phone from her décolleté, and proudly held it in front of Keith's face.

"Is that my business card in that photo..." He mumbled. "'Brides of the Round Table'?" He chuckled as he read the title of the group chat out loud.

"Yep. Five of my best friends are getting married this year, so I figured I'd spread the word." Sophia beamed.

Keith smiled. This was crazy. For years he's been advertising his own services, but to see someone else proudly shouting him out like this was completely new to him. "Thanks, Sophia. I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it! You deserve it. Now go ahead and get yourself a slice of cake and some food from the buffet. I don't think I've seen you eat yet, and we can't let you pass out on the job now, can we?"

"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

Keith couldn't help but stare at the mountains of food on the buffet table. Dessert plate with cake in one hand, empty dinner plate in the other. If the food tasted half as good as it looked and smelled, he would ascend to the heavens, he was sure. Keith considered himself a decent cook, better than Shiro at the very least, and this was leagues ahead of his own skill level. Whoever was cooking here was an absolute genius.

He turned on his heel to check out the rest of the table, though as he kept walking, he bumped into a man, smearing his cake on the man's chef's jacket. Oops.

"Wow, the second time we meet is the second meet you walk right into me? Must be fate." The big man smiled.

It was only then that Keith realized this was Hunk, and suddenly blushed bright red. "I-I'm so sorry Hunk… I didn't mean to..." He trailed off.

"Don't worry about it, man. These clothes are meant to have food all over them." He quirked an eyebrow as noticed Keith's hands were shaking and quickly snatched the plates from his hands, placing the saucer, now devoid of cake, on the table and started scooping various sorts of food onto his dinner plate. "How long were you taking photos like that? You know, without eating?"

Keith shrugged. "I don't get hungry when I take pictures."

"Allow me to politely call bullshit. Just because you don't notice, doesn't mean you don't get hungry." The larger man said, guiding Keith to a table and sitting him down.

Keith stared with sparkling eyes and a watering mouth as Hunk put the plate in front of him and handed him the silverware he needed to dig in, not noticing the worry in Hunk's eyes as he watched him eat.

"It's true, though. When I'm in the right mindset, everything else kinda disappears. Hunger included." Keith said, his mouth full as he tried to consume everything as quickly as humanly possible.

"Slightly less bullshit, but still equally bad for you." Hunk admitted.

"I guess you're right about that... This is really good, though. Did you make this?"

"Only a little. Buffets are more of a team effort. But I'm glad you like it. If you're interested, you could come over to my place for dinner some time. I'll make you my best meal."

Keith almost choked on his pasta. "Ye-Yeah, that sounds great, actually." He stuttered.

"Can I have your number?" Hunk asked, blushing brightly when he realized what he'd just said. "I-I mean, to set a date! O-Or not necessarily a date, just-"

"Hunk." Keith spoke, placing his hand on Hunk's, snapping him out of it. "I'd… love to go on a date with you. Especially when it's dinner at your place." The confidence with which he had confessed surprised even him, but he could feel the confidence crumble quickly the longer Hunk stared at him in silence. "Shit. Fucking fuck. I made it weird, I shouldn't have done that, I'm so, _so_ sorry."

"N-No! You didn't… I was just surprised that you seem to like me back… I mean, you know Grindr, 'no fats'..."

"'no fems, no asians'." Keith finished. "Trust me, I know what it's like."

"Yeah, so much for a loving and accepting community, huh?" Hunk chuckled bitterly. "So… I know we're technically on the clock, but wanna dance?" He asked, getting up and offering Keith his hand.

"Absolutely." He whispered as he took Hunk's hand, looking up at the bigger man with newfound hope sparkling in his eyes.

* * *

Keith was grateful that Lance turned out to live in the same neighborhood he and Shiro lived in. He wasn't sure he would have gotten home that night if the other man hadn't offered to give him a ride home. Public transit was nice and all, but after midnight, he was pretty much screwed. Maybe he should invest in getting a drivers license some time…

He groaned as he opened the door to his and Shiro's apartment, stumbling inside with his camera safely packed away in his padded bag. "'m home…" He said, exhausted and half-heartedly, not expecting Shiro to still be up and waiting for him. He'd be surprised.

The entire apartment was pitch black, except for the living room, where only the artificial light coming from the television illuminated the couch and the coffee table. Shiro looked up from whatever bad scripted reality show was on, half asleep on the couch, mumbled "You sound like you had fun."

"Tons." Keith said as he let himself fall to the couch next to Shiro. His voice was more hoarse than he was used to. "I saw Hunk again."

"Talk to me, bro. Should I get my notes?" He teased, but that quickly earned him a punch in the arm, getting a chuckle out of him.

"He's so sweet. He made sure I had enough to eat when I forgot to, he danced with me until his boss started screaming at him. He's a really good cook, too. He works at this catering company that made the buffet for the wedding. He even offered to make me dinner some time..." Keith let out a sigh, deep in thought. "I don't know what it is about that guy, but every time he smiles it's like I can just melt away…"

"Sounds to me like you have a crush."

"No. No, no, no. I've had crushes before. Crushes I wanna ride into the sunset. This was way different. This was… Soft, fluffy, like being swept off my feet. It's like something I've never felt before." Keith mumbled as he leaned against Shiro, curling up on the couch.

"If that's true, I think you're actually in love with Hunk."

"Shit, I've never been in love before… What do I do?" Keith asked, turning to Shiro.

"You do realize who you're talking to, right?"

"Right…" Keith mumbled, burying his face in his knees.

"H-hey, don't be like that!" Shiro said, his mind racing to find something to cheer him up. "You're a smart guy, you'll figure it out, I promise. Just don't rush into anything stupid, okay? Patience-"

"yields focus." Keith finished. "Thanks, man. That was surprisingly motivational. So, how was dinner with the Holts?"

"Mostly the same, but a little different." Shiro pondered, still trying to process the events of just a few hours prior.

"Different how?"

"Well…"


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note: In light of recent events, I've decided to edit some of Shiro's inner monologue. It's kind of 'blink-and-you'll-miss-it', but it's going to be more important later on!

* * *

Shiro stood silently in front of the Holts' front door for a solid five minutes, contemplating whether he should ring the doorbell or go home. Deep down, Shiro knew Keith was right. Besides, now that he'd made contact with Katie- Pidge again, there was no way he could avoid the family forever. They were a family of cops and cryptid hunters after all. If they wanted him, they'd find him.

Finally, he took a deep breath and pressed the damn button. He flinched when the door was opened immediately, only to be greeted by Matt's smiling face. "H-How long were you standing there?!"

"About as long as you." He said, looking at his watch. "Give or take five minutes?"

"Was it really that long?" Shiro asked, growing flustered in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you didn't bail on us." Matt said, ushering him inside, patting his back reassuringly. "Hm, no Keith?" He noted.

"No, he's taking pictures at his first wedding."

"Ah, so he's finally getting his photography thing off the ground, huh? You can take home whatever we don't eat today, so he won't miss out." Matt smiled.

Shiro found himself forcing a smile back, awkward and disingenuous, but it quickly faltered. He hoped Matt hadn't noticed, and when the other pushed him into the front room, he figured as much.

"Guys, look who's here!" Matt announced cheerfully.

The inside of the house was just as cute and quaint as he remembered it, very little had changed after all. The walls had been painted a slightly off-white, and the furniture was slightly rearranged, but other than that, it was the same. Where there was no furniture occupying the wall space, the walls were covered with family photos, meticulously arranged in chronological order. Shiro had been there for most moments since Matt's teenage years, but he noticed there had been new additions to the photo wall since he last visited. Holy crap, had Pidge already graduated high school? She must have been so disappointed in him...

"Shiro!" Was the only warning he got, a mere fraction of a second before a much smaller body threw itself at him

"Oof..." He groaned from the sudden impact. "Hey Pidge."

"Honey, be careful with our guest, will you?" Her mother, warned. It was strange to Shiro, seeing the medical examinor in her very homey open kitchen instead of her cold lab in the precinct's basement.

"Don't worry, he's been tackled by people three times her size and made it out okay." Matt chuckled.

"Only because you picked the fights. Don't think I never read through your partner's paperwork, son." His father teased, glancing up from his newspaper.

"Aah, good times." Matt sighed, a nostalgic grin plastered on his face.

"I'm really fine, dr. Holt, captain." Shiro said as he attempted to pry their daughter off him.

The two looked at each other for a moment in surprise. "You know you can just call us by our names, right? We're all friends here, Shiro." Dr. Holt, Colleen, said, carefully choosing her words.

"Yeah, friends…" Shiro couldn't help but look down as the feeling of guilt crept back up on him, spreading through his chest and mind like poison. His lip quivered, and his grip on Pidge tightened ever so slightly.

"Shiro?" The little girl whispered.

"Dude, are you okay?" Matt asked, reaching out for him, but Shiro recoiled, staying out of his reach. Matt's face fell, he sighed. "Shiro, listen, it's not like you didn't lose anything that night. Hell, if anything, you lost more than me." He mumbled, staring at his friend's prosthetic arm.

"But you lost your future as a detective." Shiro argued. "There's no way you'll get through the city police's psych evaluation, and that's because of me."

"And neither will you! How long will it take to get that through your thick skull?! Look, I'm seeing a therapist to get back on my feet, and who knows, maybe I'll be a detective like dad someday, but right now I'm having the time of my life working as a private detective and helping Pidge with her monster hunting. Just because maybe you weren't as ambitious as I was doesn't make what happened to you any more okay than what happened to me! And I know you're getting there too thanks to Keith, but I'm going to need you to let go of that night, and for the love of God, stop avoiding us. We miss you."

"You done, buddy?" Pidge asked, looking up at her brother. "I think you broke him." She said as she nodded towards him.

"Uh-oh…"

Shiro stood speechless and unmoving, mind racing to catch up with what the Hell just happened. It was small and weak, his voice trembled when he spoke a few moments later. "I know. And I'm sorry, I knew I shouldn't have avoided you guys, but there was just always this nagging voice at the back of my mind that you guys would never forgive me…" His voice was barely above a whisper as tears started to form in his eyes.

"It's okay, Shiro. You're here now, that's what counts." Captain Holt, Sam, smiled, placing an encouraging hand on Shiro's shoulder.

"And, for what it's worth, we never blamed you for what happened. Not for one second. You just got a call for backup and answered it. You couldn't have known they would gang up on you guys. It was an accident. It could have happened to any officer in the area." Colleen added, cupping Shiro's face in her hand, forcing him to look at the melancholy expression on her face. "If you'd like, you could still come over for dinner once a month. You know, like you used to." She offered.

"Yeah! He deserves at least one decent meal every month." Pidge piped up. "Keith can come too! Or your girlfriend, maybe."

"Girlfriend?" Matt asked, turning to Shiro, who only shrugged and smiled apologetically. "Shiro, you sly dog! When were you planning to tell me?"

"She's not technically my girlfriend, yet. But I'd like her to be."

"I sent my friend Allura that same Buzzfeed article I sent you. You know, the one with Shiro's naked torso?" Pidge said, shit-eating grin plastered on her face. "She went on a date with him the very next week."

"H-hey, that was for business! She wanted me to model for her…"

"And by 'your friend Allura' you mean your hot friend Allura, right?" Matt asked his little sister, ignoring Shiro's excuse.

"Smoking." Pidge pointed out, smirking devilishly at Shiro, who tried and failed to hide his embarrassment, burying his face in his hands.

"Oh my God, Shiro, you lucky bastard!" Matt chuckled, punching his friend in the arm. "Seriously, if she likes you as much as you like her-"

"And she does." Pidge cut in.

"You should totally go for it!"

"A-are you sure?" Shiro asked them, stammering.

"Yes, we're sure." The Holt siblings insisted in unison.

"Just trust me, you have more than a chance with Allura. You guys are seriously good for each other." Pidge winked, elbowing him in his right side.

"And if you need any help, we'd be more than happy to." Matt said, mirroring his sister's motions and elbowing him in his left side.

Shiro couldn't help but laugh. Seriously, these two seemed to be linked on a telepathic level. It was like they should have been twins, but had been born seven years apart for some odd reason. "Okay, if you guys say so…" he drew a deep breath. "I guess I'll give it a more serious shot."

The siblings cheered, only to be cut off by their mother.

"It's great that you guys are having fun, but can you please come and have dinner before the food cools down again?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

Even though Shiro had been hesitant to join the Holts initially, he was glad he showed up after all, and even more grateful that Colleen always made enough Thanksgiving dinner to last the family three days. If he was completely honest, this was the best home cooked meal he had eaten in literal years.

It was making him sentimental, not just about the good food, but about sharing it with so many people he loved, as well. Of course, Shiro loved Keith too, but it was different in a way. These were people he had called family for years before suddenly breaking almost all contact with them. The fact he was now re-establishing that relationship felt surreal to him, but in the best kind of way.

"Okay, so, now that we've all had dinner and everyone seems to be in a good mood, I have an announcement to make." Pidge said as she stood up from her chair.

Shiro glanced around the table to find Pidge's parents and brother wearing the same surprised expression as he was.

"Alright… I've been thinking about this for a very long time… And breaching this topic is pretty hard, because it's both a complicated concept, and I have no idea how you guys are going to react to this, but anyway, here goes nothing." She paused to take a deep breath before continuing. "So, uh, you know how computers work on binary code, right? Zeroes and ones?"

Shiro nodded, assuming the rest of the family did so too, prompting her to go on.

"Okay, so, like, that's also the way society tends to look at gender identity, right? Even on the rare occasion the mainstream talks about transgender people, we're still talking men and women, zeroes and ones, a binary of gender identities, if you will." She said as she adjusted her glasses. "But it's weird, because we all know there are more numbers in the Arabic numeral system than just zeroes and ones, right? So it's not really that far-fetched to think that there are more than two gender identities. Like, if boys are zeroes and girls are ones, then twos could be agender people, bigender people could be threes, demiboys and demigirls could be fours and fives, and so on! There's like a bazillion different gender identities out there that each don't fit in the traditional gender binary, and what I'm trying to say is that I don't fit in the traditional gender binary either, and I've decided I'm not gonna try to fit inside it anymore. So... If you guys could call me Pidge and refer to me with gender-neutral pronouns like they/them from here on out, that'd be great. Thanks for coming to my TED talk, I guess."

The family kitchen was quiet for a time, but there was no real tension. Not like Shiro expected. Everyone was just collecting their thoughts, Shiro assumed. He knew he was. However, he could read in Pidge's face that they were feeling the non-existent tension nonetheless. The speech they had just delivered was heartfelt and obviously came from deep within the kid, but was practiced and worded in a way that made the concept easy to understand. Despite being bi himself, he had never met many trans people, let alone non-binary ones. He had a lot left to learn, he felt.

Finally, the silence was shattered when Sam spoke up. "Honey, I'm glad you discovered this about yourself. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to open up about this."

"Exactly. And if you ever need help with anything in regards to your self expression, you just let us know and we'll do what we can." Colleen added. Shiro was sure he heard Pidge letting out a relieved sigh. "You're still our little baby, and we'll do anything we can to make you as comfortable as possible." She reassured.

"Thanks, mom. Thanks, dad." Pidge mumbled, smiling, but tearing up a little.

Shiro looked at Matt, wondering what he had to say on the matter.

"Honestly? I knew this was coming. I'm just disappointed you didn't use the powerpoint presentation you made." Matt shrugged, the same old, stupid grin plastered on his face. "I'm proud of you though, no matter what."

"I'm with Matt." Shiro said simply. "I thought something was up when you asked me to call you Pidge instead of Katie, but I decided not to push."

"Yeah, I wasn't very subtle back there, was I?" Pidge giggled. "I'm so glad you guys are okay with it, though."

"What can we say? We've always known you were different from the other kids, but that's the best thing about you." Sam smiled at them, prompting Pidge to hug him tightly.

"I love you guys so much."

"And we love you, too."

* * *

"Whoa, like, I always thought Pidge was a bit of a tomboy, but she's not a girl at all?" Keith asked, looking at Shiro. His eyes wide like saucers.

"Nor a boy, apparently. Pidge is just Pidge." Shiro yawned. "It's actually a pretty nice way to look at it; not being a boy or a girl, but just being yourself…"

"I guess. I'm still very comfortable with being a man." Keith shrugged.

"Me too." Shiro yawned again, his eyes starting to droop in exhaustion. "I don't know what you're doing, but I'm gonna hit the hay. If you're hungry, there's turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie in the fridge."

"Thanks Shiro." Keith smiled. "Good night."

"Good night, Keith."


	10. Chapter 10

**_PSA:_** If you're also following Loving the Alien, I'M SO SORRY. That one kind of went on an unintentional hiatus due to my not knowing where to go with the story. Do I go full-on space opera (which I'm not ready for)? Or do I keep it smaller and more grounded (like I've already done with A Day At The Races)? I honestly don't know. So... That's an update on that.

In better news, though, I've planned out the bulk of the upcoming arc of Crazy Millennial Love Story! It's gonna be great practice writing more dramatic and nuanced stories with an ensemble cast and so many moving parts, so please be patient with me!

* * *

 ** _Anonymous_**

 _Hello Keith! I recently came across your account,  
and I was wondering if I could hire you for a  
shoot in the financial district some time this week.  
I can pay you an hourly rate of 50 dollars, and an  
additional 500 for the photos. When would you be  
available?_

 _(Received 9.53 AM)_

 _Oops! Sorry for the late reply ^^" think if  
we'd have to hurry too much if we go now.  
Limited daylight and all. How about tomorrow  
at noon? Where would you like to meet up?_

 _(Sent 2.12 PM)_

 _Tomorrow at noon sounds great! You've done a  
shoot for Allura before, right? Shall we meet in front  
of the Altea Infrastructure building?_

 _(received 2.13 PM)_

 _Yeah, that's good for me. See you there!_

 _(Sent 2.34 PM)_

 _(Read 2.35 PM)_

* * *

Keith tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his new client to show up, watching the hustle and bustle of men and women in suits rushing from their office buildings to quickly get lunch and return to their cubicle as fast as humanly possible. He'd made sure to show up half an hour early, in case they showed up early, but that was forty-five minutes ago! He let out a deep sigh. He didn't even know their name… nor their gender… nor what they look like. Even their phone number was listed as anonymous!

His heart sank into his shoes. He had no idea who he was supposed to meet up with! What if it was some creep?! Come to think of it, Shiro had insisted he tag along to his very first job as a model, maybe Keith should have insisted his roommate return the favor, but you know, hindsight is always 20/20. He'd just have to deal with whomever the fuck showed up.

The buzzing of his phone snapped him out of his train of thought. He fumbled it out of his pocket with nervous, trembling fingers.

* * *

 ** _Allura_**

 _Look up._

 _(Received 12.13)_

* * *

And so he did. Up five floors was Allura waving at him from the window. He chuckled and waved back.

"What are you doing here?!" She called down to him.

"Waiting for a new client! They're probably gonna be here soon!" He shouted back up.

"Good luck! I have to go now, my board meeting is about to start, but I've got my fingers crossed for you!" She said, showing off her crossed fingers from the open window.

"Thanks!" Keith laughed out loud, looking back in front of him as Allura closed up the window she had just leaned out of.

"Sorry I'm late!"

Keith's eyes darted to the source of the sound. Approaching him was a man, tall, tanned skin with his platinum blond hair tied in a messy, yet effortlessly beautiful bun. He was gorgeous in much the same way Allura was. Not Keith's type, but conventionally _very_ attractive.

"Friend of yours?" The stranger asked, pointing up at the widow of the board room.

Keith gazed up, barely processing what was going on. "Uh… Oh, yeah! Allura has pretty much kickstarted my career as a photographer. She's pretty great."

"If you say so." The man shrugged. "Ah, I'm afraid I haven't properly introduced myself yet." He said, holding his hand out for Keith to shake. "I'm Lotor. I do much of the same thing Allura does as a social influencer, but I tend to lean more towards modeling."

Lotor… The name rang a bell to Keith, but he wasn't sure where to place it. Keith looked at his hand, tilting his head slightly as he pushed his doubts to the back of his mind, shaking the man's hand. "Keith. Nice meeting you. So, where did you wanna get your pictures taken?"

"I was hoping to do something a little grittier than your last shoot. I know a nice abandoned warehouse near the harbor that hasn't been turned into a trendy office building yet, so I was hoping we could take the pictures there?"

Abandoned warehouse? That didn't sound suspicious at all. "I, uh, I'm not sure… I didn't bring my lighting rig for that, and I don't have a car to haul it all the way to the harbor… I don't know if it's gonna work." Keith stammered, scratching his face as he pulled this weak excuse out of his ass.

"Oh, don't worry! The roof has more holes than a wheel of swiss cheese. You should be good with the lighting." Lotor reassured happily in a sing-song kind of tone.

Shit. "Okay, sure. If you wanna, why not." Keith gave in, laughing nervously.

* * *

As it turned out, Lotor's intent wasn't nearly as malicious as Keith was afraid it would be. He would even go as far as to say that working with the was actually quite pleasant. He clearly had a vision of what he wanted the pictures to look like, and had no problems with being posed and directed.

"You know, I actually used to date Allura." Lotor spoke up as he sat down on a wooden pallet he had just used to pose on.

Keith lowered his camera, allowing it to hang around his neck. "Really? How'd that go?" He asked curiously.

Lotor bit his lip, glancing away. "You know… Dating someone like her isn't all everyone makes it out to be… Her way of life can be demanding. Hell, _she_ can be demanding. Pushy, even. And that's keeping her work as a social influencer out of it! She'd take me on dates, and only afterwards I would find out she only took me out because she was getting paid to advertise the place! I've… I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of… That I'm uncomfortable with… Just because she wanted those likes."

"Yeah… That sounds pretty shitty." Keith sighed as he sat down next to him. "But if you hated that lifestyle so much when she did it, why are you still doing it now?" He asked, maybe a little harshly. Sure, he felt for Lotor. Nothing is worse than a partner who pushes you too far. Keith knew that from his own experience. But why keep doing it after breaking up with them? Besides, Keith had seen the way Allura works. She didn't seem to be anything like the way Lotor described her.

"Because I'm doing it on my own terms now. It's different…" Lotor mumbled, hollow eyes staring at the dusty concrete floor, tracing one of the cracks with the point of his shoe in boredom. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't use the following I gained during my time with Allura to earn the money I needed get my own place, but those are the only ties to her I have left."

"I'm sorry, man… I didn't know." Keith said, placing a hand on the man's shoulder in an attempt to cheer him up.

"I can't blame you. A lot of people don't know." He sighed. "The new guy that seems to be romancing her. This 'Shiro'... You know him, right?" Lotor asked, turning to Keith.

"Yeah. He's, uh, he's my roommate. And, like, my best friend." Keith admitted, feeling his shoulders slump.

"Oh… I'm so sorry you had to find out this way…" Lotor whispered, carefully wrapping his arm around Keith's shoulders. "Just, you know, do me a favor and look after him, okay? I mean, it's been years since I dated her, so it's perfectly possible that she's a changed woman, but there's no way for me to know for sure. I'd hate for your friend to get hurt."

"I will. I promise."

* * *

It was 5 PM by the time Keith returned to his and Shiro's studio apartment. "I'm home!" He called, tossing his keys to the kitchen table, only to be greeted by the sound of a running shower. Pouting, he walked up to the bathroom door and pounded on it with all his might. chuckling at the shrill shriek it earned him from Shiro. "I said I'm home!"

"I heard you the first time!" Shiro called back.

"Then answer me." Keith told him sternly, even though there was nothing stern about the look on his face as he smiled fondly. "What are you washing your ass for anyway?"

"Allura got a press screener for a movie you and I have been stoked about for like half a year, so she invited me to come watch it tonight." Shiro said through the door, shutting off the shower.

"Wait, hold on, Allura got a press screener for Revengers: Infinite Altercation?! You have to tell me all about it when you come back! Or could you, you know, borrow it from her?"

"Can't. Technically, I'm not even supposed to be watching it with her, so I gotta be all hush-hush about it."

"Okay, fine…" Keith said, rolling his eyes. "But you're still coming to see it with me when it comes out in theaters."

"That's a promise I can keep." Shiro said, smiling as he stepped out of the bathroom, towel around his waist.

There was no way Shiro would have just stepped out like this mere months ago, Keith thought to himself. Allura had done good things for both of them, but Shiro's newfound confidence had to be at the very top of the list. It was hard to imagine that the Allura he knew could ever be like the Allura Lotor had apparently dated, but that didn't stop Keith's heart from sinking at the thought that the very same could happen to Shiro. It could be mirrors and smoke. It could be a slow descent that neither of them could see coming. He swallowed thickly around the lump in his throat, pushing the thought to the back of his mind and forced a smile. "You better."

"What are you doing tonight?" Shiro asked curiously, disappearing into his bedroom to get dressed.

"Just editing the photos, I guess. Probably pigging out on potato chips and getting drunk when I'm done."

"Sounds like a solid night." Shiro chuckled as he emerged from his room, fully dressed. He gave Keith a firm pat on the back. "Don't wait up for me, okay?"

"I won't." Keith smiled, but it wasn't genuine. He watched Shiro like a hawk as he made a move to leave the apartment, panic creeping up on him. Finally, he snapped, taking hold of Shiro's wrist. "Be… Be careful, okay? Call me if there's anything wrong… Hell, if you're uncomfortable, call me. Okay? Be safe."

Shiro smiled and pulled the smaller man into a hug. "I will, I promise." He whispered before pulling back. "I know it's hard to see your little man grow up, but I'm not leaving the nest just yet." Shiro joked, wearing the broadest, brightest smile on his face. A rare treat, even for Keith, even though it was becoming more and more common.

"Come on, man, can't a bro be worried about a bro?" Keith asked, laughing nervously as he went along with the joke. Had he been that obvious?

"It's okay, enough joking for now." Shiro said before taking a deep breath, keeping himself from laughing any more. "I'll be safe, I promise. I'll be back in the morning, so seriously, don't wait up for me, okay?" He said, squeezing Keith's shoulder reassuringly.

"Okay…" Keith mumbled, breath hitching as he watched Shiro leave.

What if Allura really wasn't who they thought she was?

* * *

When Lotor returned home, his apartment was completely shrouded in darkness. Nobody had apparently bothered to turn any of the lights on. He sighed as he turned on the lights in the hallway and made his way to his living room, which was completely dark as well, the only light in the room coming from his television and Ezor's cell phone.

All three of his friends were sprawled over the couch, tangled up in each other, half watching whatever trashy tv show was on. They hissed, squinting when he turned on the light fixture that hung right above them. "Ladies." Lotor greeted, a fond smile gracing his features.

They hummed in acknowledgement, boredom evident in every last bit of their being.

"So, how'd it go?" Ezor asked as she threw her phone to the salon table.

"It went well, thank you very much. The seeds of doubt are planted, and I got some very pretty pictures out of it, too. Double win for me." Lotor smiled proudly, showing the already edited photos that had arrived in his inbox mere minutes ago. "If all goes according to plan, all we have to do is wait."

"Man, I hate this. You could've just let me beat up the new guy and tell him to stay the fuck away from her. Much quicker, that way." The largest of his friends, Zethrid, asked as she sat up, knocking the two other girls off of her with a yelp.

"Yes, it would be quicker, but I doubt it would be more effective. Besides, beating up a nerdy, gay photographer isn't a good look for you. It would prompt immediate retaliation and I can't risk that." He said sternly, prompting the large woman to groan in frustration.

"Sorry to rain on your parade, Lotor, but the same plan didn't work for the last three of Allura's friends. What makes you think it will work this time?" Axca asked, leaning over the back of the couch.

"Because he has trust issues, and we have leverage." Lotor smirked as he sat down on the couch between Ezor and Axca. "I didn't tell him Allura would turn on _him_ , I told him Allura would turn on his best friend. If I can get him to mistrust Allura and break their friendship from the inside, he might be able to convince his friend to no longer pursue Allura. Either that, or his relationship with his best friend will crumble along with his relationship with Allura, leaving him all alone. Whatever happens, the fallout will be interesting to watch."

"That… Actually sounds like it might work." Axca admitted.

He nodded in agreement. "Now all we have to do is sit back and relax."


	11. Chapter 11

November rolled into December, and Christmas was approaching soon. It was supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, and yet, Keith was in his bed, tossing and turning.

It had been four weeks since he did the shoot with Lotor, who had told Keith of Allura's apparently dark past, and Shiro had been going on more and more dates with Allura.

"Keith, I'm going out for tacos with Allura!"

"Keith, Allura and I are going secret santa shopping!"

"Keith, I'm going to Allura's to help her set up the Christmas tree!"

Nothing seemed to have changed between them.

Keith had begun to doubt Lotor's warning, but the voice in the back of his mind kept gnawing at his conscience.

Nothing seemed to have changed between them. Yet.

How could he keep letting Shiro go on these dates when he knew that she could turn on him any second? Then again, Shiro was a grown adult. He could handle himself. But on the other hand, Shiro's mental state was more vulnerable than the older man liked to admit. The issue was tearing him apart from inside, and it fucking sucked. Even if he did want to talk about it, who was he supposed to take it to? His new friends were Allura's friends first, and on top of that, the woman was famous. Public opinion would likely tip in her favor. It would be best for him to keep his mouth shut, then.

Keith groaned when his phone started vibrating under his pillow. Who dared call him while he was in the middle of an intense moping session?! He squinted from the glaring brightness of the screen. Hunk. He had to take this one. Begrudgingly, he dragged the green horn to the middle of the screen and put his phone to his ear, putting on a sickeningly sweet tone.

"Hey there handsome, how are you?"

"I'm doing pretty well, beautiful." Hunk crooned through his phone, turning the tips of Keith's ears as red as his beanie. "Hey, you live in the city center, right? Wanna go secret santa shopping with me?"

Shit. He'd forgotten all about Allura's secret santa party on boxing day. He'd drawn Pidge's name from the hat, but he had no idea what to get the kid. On the one hand, he was in no mood for shopping, but on the other hand, Hunk might actually know what they like.

"Yeah, sure. I can tag along." Keith said. "How long would it take you to get here?"

"Uh, about half an hour?" Hunk mumbled as he presumably did the math.

Keith turned onto his back, twirling his long hair between his fingers like a lovesick teenager. He hated that trope in any movie, but this time, _he_ was the one in love, and it felt good dammit. "Sounds good to me. I should probably take a shower first, though… I'll put a key under the doormat, okay? I don't wanna make you wait out in the cold."

"Thanks, Keith. I'll be right there. See ya."

"See ya." Keith smiled as he ended the call.

Yeah. He was in love, and it felt good.

* * *

Shiro was pushing to his very limit. His face burned bright red, and a pathetic whine escaped his throat. There was no way he could keep this up much longer.

"You can do it, Shiro, you're almost there! Just a _tiny_ bit further." Allura encouraged from behind him, gently placing her hands on his hips, steadying him. Or so she thought.

Startled from the sudden sensation, Shiro jolted, losing his balance, falling face-first into the Christmas tree if it wasn't for Allura jerking him backwards by the waist. They tumbled backwards, luckily landing on the couch.

"You okay up there?" Allura croaked from under Shiro, who scrambled to get off of her.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He asked as he carefully helped her up. "The star is okay, though." Shiro said, proudly holding up the delicate ornament that should have gone atop the pine tree.

"Well done." Allura giggled, patting Shiro's chest. "I think Coran might have overestimated our height when he got this tree." She said, glaring up at the top of her christmas tree. "Come on, I'll get a stool to stand on."

* * *

"Keith? You in here?" He heard Hunk call from the hallway.

"Yeah! I'll be out there in a sec." He gritted out as he tried to tie his hair in a bun, cursing in frustration, why did everything have to go wrong _now_?! He jolted when Hunk knocked on the bathroom door.

"Everything okay in there? Anything I can help with?"

"My hair… Won't… GAH!" Keith groaned.

"I do my niece's hair all the time. I could do yours if you want…" Hunk suggested, speaking through the door.

What an absolute sweetheart, Keith thought to himself. The thought of Hunk doing his hair made his heart flutter, but could potentially be very embarrassing. He hadn't known Hunk for very long, and he wanted the man to date him, not take care of him like some incompetent toddler. Keith was a grown-ass man, who didn't need anyone to take care of him, thank you very much. And so, he tried for a few more seconds, but ultimately, he slumped over to the door in defeat, turning the lock to open it.

Hunk opened the door just a crack, carefully peeking inside. The sweetest smile came to his face when his eyes fell on Keith's little pout, effectively melting the photographer's heart. "What seems to be the problem?"

The smaller man shamefully buried his face in his hands. "There's a hair tie stuck in my hair and I don't wanna cut it out…"

"Okay, no need to panic. Go sit down somewhere, we'll take care of this." Hunk smiled, picking up the brush from the sink.

Keith could just about die of shame as he left the bathroom and sat down at the dinner table. A gasp left him as Hunk grabbed his shoulders and pulled him against the back of the chair, forcing him to sit upright. When Hunk got to work on his hair, he was surprisingly gentle, only brushing the tangled spot to undo the knots. Slowly but surely freeing the elastic from his hair.

"Your hair is so soft, you know that?" Hunk commented. "How did you manage to get it _this_ stuck?"

"A series of unfortunate events." Keith mumbled. His shoulders would slump, had Hunk not been holding him by the hair. "I don't wash my hair that often because I don't like how fluffy it gets, but I thought since I was going out with you, I'd make sure I looked good. But then I had to go and blow dry my hair so it wouldn't snap off in the cold, which only made it fluffier, so I decided to tie it down in a bun, and suddenly I couldn't find my hair tie anymore…"

"You mean this one?" Hunk asked as he triumphantly held the accessory in front Keith's face.

"Yeah, that one! Hunk, you're the best!"

"I know." He said, Keith could hear the proud smile in his voice. "Still want that bun?"

"Yes please." Keith smiled, purring in delight as Hunk's fingers carded through his hair, gathering it all up. "Your niece is very lucky to have an uncle as sweet and skilled as you."

Hunk chuckled. "You're really too generous with your compliments, my dude." He said as he twisted Keith's hair into a bun and finally wrapping the hair tie around it. "All done!"

Keith carefully patted at his hair, not a single stray strand to be found, aside from his bangs. Excitedly, he got up and turned around to get ready to leave. "And you're really too humble, you know? You're the best."

* * *

Shiro groaned as he flopped onto the couch, face first. "Ugh, now I remember why Keith and I never set up a christmas tree. My back is killing me…" He whined.

Allura, on the other hand, smiled brightly as she crouched by the man and ran her gentle fingers through his white fringe. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that." She laughed apologetically. "I'd do this with Coran under any other circumstances, but he got caught up at the office."

"Yeah, I know." Shiro smiled, as he pushed himself up from the cushion and sitting down like a regular person. "I was just being a little dramatic, it's honestly not that bad."

"If you say so." Allura got up before letting herself fall into the spot next to Shiro. "Seriously though, thanks. I couldn't have done it without you."

"You're very welcome, princess." Shiro said, comfortably resting his cheek on her head. Her hair smelled sweet, like ripe strawberries. He felt over the moon until he realized that what he was doing was at least a little bit creepy.

"Oh my God, not you too." She giggled, and Shiro's worries vanished like a snowflake in the desert.

"You know, Allura, I've been thinking..." Shiro started, nerves and uncertainty making his voice tremble. "I… uh, you… We've been seeing each other a lot, lately. And, you know, I really like spending time with you. And, uh, well, you've always been, y'know, 'my friend, Allura'... But… Would you maybe like to spend time with me as… 'my girlfriend, Allura'?"

"Shiro…"

* * *

Keith sighed as he leaned his back against the front window of a seedy thrift shop. When Hunk had asked him out to buy their secret santa gifts, he hadn't expected to be abandoned outside a shop in a street that was just a little too dark for his liking. Like, it was broad daylight, but he _still_ felt uncomfortable.

What's more is that his black hooded sweater and scarlet leather jacket didn't exactly do much to keep him warm either. His knees trembling and his teeth clacking together. Maybe he should have invested in a thicker, warmer coat. Instead, he opted to bury his face in the Mothman plush he had just purchased for Pidge. It had slowly absorbed some of his body warmth since he bought it, holding it in his arms the whole time, so it offered some reprieve from the icy December winds.

He jumped at a sudden sound next to him, not realizing it had been from the door opening. "Hunk! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

"Uh… No? Are you okay, though? You look cold..." Hunk noted as he adjusted the handles of the paper bag around his arm.

"Yeah, a little." Keith mumbled.

Hunk hummed as he thought for a second, before removing his own scarf and wrapping it around Keith's neck. It looked ridiculously large on the smaller man, and Hunk couldn't contain a small smile as he tied the ends together, keeping it secure around Keith. "There we go. Sorry I asked you to wait outside, I should have known you'd be too cold."

"It's okay." Keith said, a blush creeping to his face. He could probably get away with blaming it on the cold, but Lord knows it was the warmth in the scarf and Hunk's smell that caused it. "I'm just curious why you wanted to go to this store... and you didn't want me to come in with you."

"Because this is for you." Hunk said, nerves evident in his voice. "And I want it to be a surprise when you opened it."

"Did… Did you draw my name from that hat?" Keith stammered, clinging ever tighter to the soft plushie in his arms.

"Actually, I drew Shiro's… I switched with Lance. He's getting Shiro one of those police outfits for strippers, so that should be fun-"

"No, Hunk, don't you dare change the subject right now! Why did you switch?"

Hunk hesitated for a moment, glancing away, before drawing a deep breath and looking Keith in the eye. "Because I like you. I wanted to get you something nice, and I knew exactly what I wanted to give you."

Keith didn't hear anything beyond those first four words. His heart melted, and his brain might as well have. He wasn't planning on this. He wanted to go slow and steady for once, but that's not what Keith was about. No, he was always fast and loose. Emotional. Passionate. It was then and there that he grabbed Hunk by the collar of his coat, his resolve long forgotten, and pressed his lips into Hunk's.


	12. Chapter 12

Keith grumbled as Shiro shook his shoulder.

"Come on, Keith, get up! We have to be at Allura's in an hour!"

Right. Allura. Yesterday was Christmas day, so that damned secret santa party was this afternoon. He still wasn't sure how he felt about spending an entire day in the proverbial lion's den. After all, he was still waiting for something to go horribly wrong between the two. Though, if he attended the party and pretended nothing was bothering him, he would be able to look out for Shiro, and intervene if something bad happened. But it was still morning, right? Plenty of time to prepare and mentally go over every doom scenario imaginable at least twice.

"Keith, it's one in the afternoon, we'll be late!"

Wait. Hunk would be there. He couldn't be late. "I'm up!" He catapulted upright, groaning in pain as his forehead collided with Shiro's chin. "FUCK!"

"You can say that again." Shiro mumbled, muffled through his hands. Tears were forming in his eyes from the sudden burst of pain. He opened his mouth, locking and unlocking his jaw, licking his teeth to test the waters. "Okay, I'm good. How's your head?"

"Haven't had any complaints yet."

" _Keith_." Shiro insisted.

"Seriously, I'm fine." Keith huffed as he removed his hands from his red, but intact forehead. "See?"

"Good." Shiro said, rubbing the spot on Keith's forehead just to make sure. "Is your present for Pidge wrapped?"

"I think I used more tape than wrapping paper, but yes. It is."

"Good, that's a start. Now go take a shower and get dressed. Chop chop." Shiro clapped his hands as he hurried Keith out of bed, only prompting the other to be slower and lazier.

"Geez, you sound like my mom at a soccer game, let me just skip the shower and sleep for fifteen more minutes." He mumbled as he wrapped himself back up in his blanket.

Shiro, on the other hand, couldn't laugh about it. "Now, Keith." He urged.

"Okay, okay." Keith said as he got up, charmingly scratching at his butt before throwing together an outfit for the day and making his way to the bathroom. "Even if we run a little late, your princess will still be waiting in her castle, prince charming."

* * *

 _"Shiro… I really appreciate you asking me out like this. And… And I really want to be your girlfriend. I do. But… There's something you should know..."_

* * *

As luck would have it, prince charming and his trusty squire weren't the only ones running late. Hunk was still unloading the dinner he had prepared for the seven of them from the trunk of his mom's car.

"Hey guys!" Hunk greeted cheerfully. "Care to give me a hand getting all of this food up to Allura's?"

"Yeah, absolutely." Shiro said as he slipped his gift into the pocket of his jacket. "Just give me the heaviest crate you've got."

"That's the spirit." Hunk chuckled as he handed over the crate, hesitating for a split second as Shiro's prosthetic fingers looped through the handle of the crate. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" He asked, shooting Shiro a concerned look.

"Don't worry about it." Shiro smiled. "I lift weights with that hand. Heck, I'm pretty sure I could carry Keith up to Allura's apartment under that arm."

Hunk nodded and let go off the crate, drawing a slight grunt from the other man.

"Okay, this is heavy stuff, though. What are you feeding us?" Shiro asked curiously.

"That's the main course, so that would be French beef stew with potatoes and a red wine. It's not exactly meant to be a light meal." Hunk answered proudly.

"Sounds delicious. I'll see you guys in a bit." Shiro said as he disappeared into the apartment building.

"'Kay!" The younger men said in unison before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"He seems to be in a good mood." Hunk commented.

"Yeah. He has been all week."

The silence that came over them afterwards might have been pleasant for Hunk, but it was much less so for Keith, as his mind still raced a mile a minute.

"Hey..." Keith started as he grabbed a crate full of what he assumed would be the starters from the back of the car. "I'm sorry about the other day… I know I should have said something back then." He sighed. "Hell, I shouldn't have just up and kissed you back then. Not out of the blue, like that. I don't know… I guess, If you wanna talk about it..."

"I don't think there's much to talk about." Hunk said as he closed the car's trunk and bleeped the lock on.

Keith practically deflated. He came here fully prepared to be rejected, but nothing could have prepared him for how much those words really stung.

"Wait, no! Not like that!" The bigger man panicked. "I meant to say that I think everything you had to say was already in that kiss. And I've been thinking about it a lot. And, you know, I..." He trailed off as he leaned down, cupping Keith's face in his gloved hands, kissing him softly, gently, but all the more deliberate.

 _Love you too…_

* * *

 _"See… I used to date this guy… And at first it was great, you know? I genuinely loved him, and I thought he genuinely loved me. He didn't mind that I worked long hours at the office some days, he liked doing photo shoots with me, even when I was asked to promo restaurants or whatever, he always happily tagged along. 'Anything you have to do, we can make into a date.' He argued when I started feeling bad for dragging him all over town every other day."_

 _"That actually sounds really sweet."_

 _"It was. Until..."_

* * *

Entering Allura's kitchen was like being smacked in the face with a pound cake.

"Sweet Jesus!" Were the only words Keith could manage when the smell of sugar and vanilla extract penetrated his nostrils. "I was gonna ask what's cooking, but I think I can guess." He huffed as he placed the crate of starters on the kitchen table.

"Granny Smythe's famous pound cake!"

Keith yelped, grasping his t-shirt over his heart as he heard the organ pounding in his ears. He barely registered it when a strange man with bright orange hair and a big handlebar moustache, dressed in a blue Hawaiian shirt in the tail-end of December, appeared in front of him. Barely, because not noticing him was not an option.

"Sorry little fella'. Didn't mean to scare the living daylights out of you. My name is Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe." The strange man said, vigorously shaking Keith's hand. His nasal voice and thick… New-Zealand accent? worked to a comedic effect, but Keith was absolutely certain that this man was as kind as they came. "I'm Allura's co-CEO and 'personal assistant'. You must be Keith, correct? Allura and Shiro have told me all about you. You seem like a very nice young lad. You couldn't be more welcome here. Nuestra casa es su casa."

"I… uh… Thanks? I'm Keith. Keith Yorick Kogane." He smiled, imitating Coran's introduction, his worries disappearing like a snowflake in the desert.

"Yorick? You don't hear that name often. Your parents must have been great friends of Shakespeare, hm?"

And just like that, Keith tensed again. He was usually okay when he brought up the topic of his parents himself, but when someone else did it, that was different. "Yeah… No… I don't..."

"Ah… that's alright, I get it. I'm sorry."

"'s okay..." Keith mumbled, his gaze cast downward. He only looked up again when a gentle hand patted his shoulder.

"If you ever need something of a father figure in your life, don't hesitate to come to me, alright? I've been mentoring Allura for almost a decade now, I should be able to give you some guidance as well."

Keith nodded, smiling. "Thanks, Mr. Smythe. That's really nice of you."

"Please, call me Coran."

"Keith, come on! We're gonna start exchanging gifts, so you better hurry up."

"Alright, you heard the non-binary kid, you go have fun. I'll look after Hunk's food while it heats up."

"Thanks, Coran."

* * *

 _"Honestly, I don't know what triggered it. Maybe his numbers went down, maybe his follower count stagnated. I never really cared to check or ask, but he became cold to me. Like, all the warmth that came from him turned into apathy. It was like I had served my purpose and it was time to cast me aside or whatever… It broke my heart, so I broke up with him. Ever since then, it didn't matter what I did or who I dated. Every potential boyfriend, girlfriend or just friend I tried to make, he tried his damndest to scare away. The few that remain, you already know."_

 _"Allura… I'm so sorry..."_

 _"No, it's okay! Actually, that's why I was so relieved when you told me you really have no idea of how social media work, because that's where most of his pestering really happened. Though… I don't know. I still feel like I should protect you from him and not 'officially' become your girlfriend."_

 _"That's a funny story, actually, because I used to date this other guy..."_

* * *

"Alright, what order do we pass out the presents in?" Lance asked enthusiastically as Keith sat down in the last unoccupied seat between Hunk and Pidge. The smallest of which immediately threw their hands up in the air.

"The youngest get their presents first!" They shouted, getting a solid laugh out of the five of them. No matter how much of a genius the kid was, they were still obviously a child at heart.

"Yeah, why not? I don't think we've done that order before." Allura managed as she still recovered from laughing.

"Alright, whoever you are, secret santa, hand over the goods." Pidge smirked, making grabby hands over the table in front of her.

"Okay, okay, settle down." Keith said as he rummaged under his seat, producing his very messy present and placed it on the table in front of Pidge.

"How on Earth am I supposed to get into this..." They mumbled as they stared at the mess of scotch tape and wrapping paper in front of them.

"You're smart. I'm sure you can figure it out." Keith encouraged. Much to his surprise, it only took the teen two minutes to remove the wrapping and reveal the real present.

"Oh my God, I love it!" They almost shouted enthusiastically, pulling the Mothman plush into what had to be a crushing hug. "Thanks, Keith! I'll cherish it forever."

"You're welcome." He smiled.

"Okay Lance, your turn!" Pidge smiled as they slid a brightly coloured box to the other side of the table. "I've outdone myself this year, if you ask me."

"You are so humble, dear pigeon." Lance joked as he opened the box. "Wait, holy crap, did you make me a new backpack?!"

"No, I actually bought the backpack itself, but I did make a few add-ons. Like some watertight compartments for all your electronic devices to keep another accident like the one on the Maid of the Mist from happening."

This story, Keith had actually heard before. Lance had told him when they first met. Half a year before the now famous 'networking party' at Allura's, Lance went to the Niagara Falls with his class, and, apparently, when they went on the boat around the bottom of the falls, he had stuffed his laptop, phone, camera, everything in a fabric, drawstring backpack. And it was hot that day, too, so he opted not to wear the plastic rain poncho he was given upon boarding. He said he'd 'rather get wet from the splashing water than from his own sweat'. Keith could sympathize, he guessed, but it did result in a very awkward phone call with Lance's parents and his parents' insurance company back at the hotel.

"Thanks Pidge, this is the best."

"Don't mention it. It's the least I could do."

"Okay, next would be Hunk, right?" Allura asked over the table, and handed him an envelope when he nodded. "Sorry, I couldn't find them anywhere in town, so I had to order them online. I'll drop them off at your place as soon as they arrive, okay?"

Hunk laughed and nodded. "Now I'm really curious." He said as he ripped the envelope open, revealing a photo of what Keith could tell was a set of high-end kitchen knives. Hunk let out a deep sigh. "Allura, what did we tell you about super expensive Christmas gifts? We've been over this, like, three times."

"Oh come on, you deserve something nice." She pleaded. "Just see it as a token of my gratitude for cooking the secret santa dinner every year, okay?"

"Okay, fine. Just this one time." Hunk said before jabbing a finger at her. "But next year, you gotta be as cheap as us."

"Cross my heart." She smiled.

"Besides, I shouldn't be the one to complain." Hunk admitted as he placed the bag from the thrift shop in front of Keith. "I might have splurged a little, too."

Keith nervously glanced at Hunk before reaching into the brown paper shopping bag. When his fingers brushed against the present inside, he could feel that it was definitely made of old plastic, and was quite hefty when he lifted it up. The texture and weight actually felt quite familiar. This was something he had held in his hands many times before, but never bought because of his and Shiro's tight budget. "No. Hunk, tell me you didn't."

"I wish I could, but my momma didn't raise a liar." The larger man said, smiling warmly at him.

"Come on, show us what it is already!" Pidge urged.

"Alright, you asked for it." Keith smirked as he lifted a vintage Polaroid camera from the bag. He peeked back inside to find a pack of film and a strap to hang the camera around his neck as well, looking decades newer than the camera itself, but safety first, he supposed.

"Oh, I could go get Coran to take a picture of all of us!" Allura suggested.

Shiro jumped in almost immediately. "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea! I mean, if Keith's okay with it. It's his camera after all."

"Yeah, sounds good." Keith said, actually smiling at Allura.

"I'll be right back."

* * *

 _"Wait, you used to date a guy? Keith introduced you to me as his 'straight best friend'."_

 _"Oh, crap, yeah. I don't think I ever mentioned him to Keith. I'm really bi, though, I swear."_

 _"Me too, don't worry. So, this guy you used to date?"_

 _"Yeah. This was back when I was in high school back when I lived in a much smaller town miles away from here. I used to play high school football. I was quarterback, he was the head of the student council. Our school was surprisingly accepting at the time. We were even prom kings together. The whole high school movie thing. Just… Life was good, you know? But there were just these little things… Like, he wanted to protect me from anything and everything. He insisted I have my mom cook my eggs and my meats all the way through, sushi was just off the table altogether, he barely let me play football, and after every game he always checked me over himself, even when I didn't get much action. I understand that it was probably just because he cared about me, but he always treated me like I was made of glass… Like I was supposed to be covered in bubble wrap lest I get damaged. It honestly didn't sit well with me back then, but when I saw just how much he loved me, I couldn't bring myself to tell him. Then, when we graduated and I told him I wanted to go to the police academy and become a cop in the big city… He put his foot down. He said that it was dangerous. That both gangs and cops would have it out for people 'like us'. Mind, this is before I realized I was attracted to women as well. And I mean, we both know that's not true. But he said it was him or my dream job… So… I broke up with him, went to the academy, became a cop, things happened and here we are. And… Even though I technically proved him right, I wouldn't have it any other way. Because I met you."_

* * *

"Okay, so, if my math skills haven't completely abandoned me, it's your turn, Allura." Shiro said as he picked up a small present, holding it out to her with both hands.

"I wonder what this could be." Allura smiled as she carefully took hold of the present, peeling off the tape with her perfectly manicured fingernails before unfolding the wrapping paper. In her hands, she held a frame, with one of the first photos Keith had taken of them that day in the park.

Shiro had made sure not to pick one of the photos Allura had published on her blog, instead going for a picture of them talking, looking over the lake, when Shiro had wanted to hold her and comfort her so badly. While the silhouettes were very clearly the two of them, it didn't feature them too prominently. Instead, it was a wide shot, according to Keith, capturing the setting sun between the skyscrapers of the financial district.

The reds and oranges from the sunset, the closeness between them that was not just visible, but tangible in this photo, even just on their second meeting, it made Shiro feel all sorts of fuzzy things. He would likely never be able to truly put what he felt when he looked at it to words, nor did he feel the need to. He just hoped Allura would feel the same.

"Oh, Shiro, it's beautiful. I love it." She said, smiling lovingly as she clutched the frame to her chest.

"Alright, Shiro's turn!" Lance shouted, his face beaming as he placed his present in front of the man.

* * *

 _"I mean, ever since we've met, I've been pushing my own boundaries and trying things I usually wouldn't have tried. I've been reconnecting with old friends, making new friends, just talking to people in general… I'm more comfortable in my own body than I've been for years. That's all thanks to you. And you're right, I don't care about how many or how few followers I have online. That's not what matters to me. I just know I want to be with you, do fun things with you, and, if it's not too presumptuous, spend the rest of the foreseeable future with you? And if either of our ex-boyfriends have a problem with that, they can take it to me."_

* * *

" _Lance._ " Shiro sternly protested as he side-eyed the boy. Apparently, Hunk hadn't been joking when he told Keith that Lance was getting Shiro a police-themed stripper outfit.

"Yes, mr. policeman?" He practically purred, ripping snorts and giggles from his friends. Even Allura had a hard time keeping it together.

"I shouldn't have to explain to you that this isn't funny." Shiro said as he gestured at the man on the packaging, with his shirt wide open and his hands on the buckle of his belt. "This barely resembles a real police uniform. It doesn't even have a badge."

"It does have handcuffs, though."

"Nice. I'm sure I can make certain people very happy with this." Shiro beamed, not too subtly glancing at Allura.

* * *

 _"Allura… I love you. I'm not made of glass. I don't need to be protected. No matter what happens, I want to be your boyfriend. I will be fine, I promise."_

 _"And I really, really want to be your girlfriend, Shiro."_

 _"Then why don't we give it a shot?"_

* * *

To Keith, dinner that night was really unlike any other. For the first time since he was a small child, it really felt like Christmas. Even though it was technically the 26th. There was good food, a family to share it with, and presents. He honestly couldn't remember where he last had this much fun. Just eating, talking, playing around, Hell, even doing the dishes was fun when you did them with Coran. But by the time midnight rolled around, it was time for everybody to go home. Or, well, pretty much everybody. Shiro was once again staying the night, and given the present he had just received from Lance, he didn't want to think for a second about what they were going to do when everybody had left the premises. Just as everyone was putting on their coats and hats and scarves, Allura cleared her throat.

"Guys, I'd like to thank you again for this great night. It's been a while since I laughed so hard. But before you guys go home, Shiro and I have an announcement to make."

"Surprise, we're dating!" Shiro smiled brightly, making jazzhands. They looked so happy together, but while the others congratulated the two, Keith felt his stomach sink into his shoes.

What if something still went wrong? What if she turned cold? What if he moves in with her and Keith can't keep an eye on them anymore? What if she persuaded Shiro into doing something he's uncomfortable with, all for her own gain? What if he barely sees Shiro anymore? What if he forgets all about Keith? What if Keith ends up all alone again? What if…

"Keith? _Keith?!_ " He heard Shiro call through the ringing in his ears, but the color drained from his face and his vision. Pressure behind his eyes, fingertips numb, brain pounding in his skull. He felt like he was falling, and he was, before all faded to black.


	13. Chapter 13

Keith was comfortable. He was comfortable, safe, warm and… moving? He groaned as he cracked an eye open. "Where am I?" He mumbled as he took in his surroundings. He was in a car. The one that belonged to Hunk's mother, to be precise, with the chef behind the wheel. He was lying, spread over the back seat, leaning against Shiro's chest, the man's arm firmly around his waist as he couldn't wear a seatbelt in this position, and covered in all three of their coats. That sure explained the warmth. Every pothole, every bump of hastily fixed asphalt that was characteristic for any road in the metropolis' downtown area only worsened his headache, though. He must have had one Hell of a fall. "Where are we going?"

"What? Dude, we're taking you to the hospital!" Hunk called from behind the wheel. "You fainted, remember? You were well fed, you had enough to drink, but not too much either. You had literally no reason to pass out, so we're getting you checked out."

"W-What?! No!" Keith protested as he kicked the coats off his legs, sitting upright. "I'm fine, I swear!" He only stopped struggling when he felt Shiro's prosthetic tighten around his waist.

"Keith… You've been acting weird all month. I'm worried about you, you know. What if it's something serious?"

"I know…" Keith mumbled, settling back into the man's chest. "But I'm really okay, physically speaking. You don't have to take me to a doctor." He pleaded, and not much later, he felt the car come to a halt as Hunk pulled into a parking space by the road.

"But, if it's not physical, then what is it?" Hunk asked, turning in his chair to look in the back seat. Keith noticed traces on cheeks from old tears. He'd have to somehow make this up to him, but it would have to wait. He had to talk himself out of this situation first.

"Just stress, I guess." Keith said. It wasn't a lie, just a gross oversimplification, and Hunk seemed to be buying it. "The last two months have just… It's been a lot to adjust to."

"Right, I get it. But try not to overwork yourself, okay? I know it can be tempting, but you need to be careful with what jobs you do and don't take."

If it was up to Keith, Hunk would never find out how hard he just hit the nail on its head, though. "I'll be careful." He mumbled solemnly.

"Good. Now if you guys don't mind, I'll drive you home." Hunk said optimistically as he started the car again, driving the two of them back to their apartment.

Even though Keith was now conscious and sitting up in his own seat, Shiro maintained his death grip on Keith's waist. Hunk might have bought Keith's excuse, but the older man wasn't having it. Deep down, Keith was painfully aware of this. He shouldn't have been caught off guard by what came next.

"Is this somehow about my relationship with Allura?" Shiro asked, performatively staring out the window, resting his chin on his hand, to further drive home the casual, disinterested tone he had delivered the question in. Keith tensed under Shiro's arm, he knew Keith hated it whenever he feigned indifference, possibly even more than when it was real. "I knew it!" He shouted. "This _is_ about me dating Allura!"

"How did you know?!" Keith asked, looking at him in bewilderment.

"Keith, buddy, it really doesn't take a detective to figure that out. All month, you've been moping in your bed, which really wouldn't be weird for you, but not _once_ did I come home to the apartment smelling like weed. You've been losing your appetite halfway through or skipping meals altogether,"

"Skipping meals?!"

"at so much as a mention of Allura, and you've been making me promise to be safe and call you if anything went wrong, but only when I went out with Allura. Keith, you're even skinnier than when you moved in with me three years ago. Did you really think I wouldn't notice something was up?"

"Shiro, I..." Keith stammered, his vision blurring as tears welled up in his eyes. "I-I don't… I just wanted to..."

"Protect me?"

Keith nodded. Shiro sighed.

"You know, I've actually talked about this with Allura. See, before we met I used to date this guy who thought he had to protect me from the world, and seeing as you don't know about his existence and apparently came to the conclusion that I'm heterosexual, it's safe to say that that relationship didn't work out."

Keith could only look up at the man. Eyes like saucers, his jaw slack, and his mind was having more than a little trouble keeping up.

"But we can talk about that later if you want. What's important now is that, yes, I'm technically physically disabled, and yes, my mental stability isn't what it used to be, but I'm not naive. Being a cop in the big city does that to you. I trust Allura and Coran, which only leads me to the question 'Why don't you?'"

Keith shook his head, looking down at his feet to hide the tears in his eyes only to make them fall to his lap immediately. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." Shiro said sternly. "If something happened to you, I want to know it. Trust is a two way street, remember? You can talk to me."

Keith sobbed and rubbed the tears from his eyes. That's right. Shiro trusted him. And while it was difficult, Keith knew he had to trust Shiro as well. "Remember when I took that job from that anonymous number?"

"And I told you you were pretty stupid for not asking the guy's name? Oh, I remember."

"Thanks for rubbing that in. Anyway he introduced himself to me when he arrived at our meeting point. He said his name was Lotor."

"Oh boy. That couldn't have ended well..." Hunk squeaked from behind the wheel, sinking in his seat ever so slightly, but it was enough to catch Shiro's attention.

"You know this Lotor guy, Hunk?" Shiro asked.

The man behind the wheel nodded. "Yeah, I know him, alright. We all do. We just don't particularly like bringing him up. He's something of a collective trauma I really wish you guys wouldn't have to deal with."

"How come?" Shiro asked curiously.

"Have you guys ever seen Scott Pilgrim?" Hunk checked. "Like, Allura doesn't need seven evil exes. She just has one evil ex with the combined spite and saltiness of at least ten evil exes." He said as he squeezed the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. "He tries to scare off anyone who would be her friend or potential romantic partner. And what's worse is that he's successful pretty often. We've all had to deal with him. It got ugly most times, but now we just block him and as many of his teenage cronies we can on all of our platforms. It's easy enough, I'll show you guys how to do it some time."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Hunk, but he drew Keith out in the real world. I don't think it's as easy to keep a handle on a bitter ex and his posse of fangirls when they can physically come at you." Shiro argued.

"You're right." Hunk sighed in agreement. "And, I mean, not only is the physical threat concerning, but there's also the fact that this is the most unpredictable he's been since I've been friends with Allura. He's _never_ tried to approach us outside of the internet."

"What baffles me most is that he went for Keith, not for me, since I would be his direct competitor."

"It's because he knows we're close." Keith spoke up, driving the heels of his palms into his eyes in frustration. "He told me Allura did the shittiest things to him while they were dating, and then he made me promise to keep you safe."

"Two birds, one stone." Shiro concluded.

Keith's shoulders shook as a sob wracked through his body. "I'm sorry." He croaked. "I shouldn't have trusted some eccentric rando over you and Allura! I was just so scared..."

Shiro hushed him as he pulled Keith into a tight hug, firmly rubbing between his shoulders. "It's okay. For what it's worth, if I had been in your shoes, I probably would have done the same. No offense, Hunk."

"None taken." Hunk piped up from behind the steering wheel. "Ah, we're here."

"Trust me, it's worth a lot." Keith chuckled through his tears, muffled by Shiro's sweater. "And again, I'm sorry."

"You should save your apologies for Allura, Keith. And Hunk, I can't let you drive home with a clear conscience. You can stay the night at our place." Shiro offered as he gathered up their coats.

"Thanks, that sounds great. I'll call my mom to let her know."

"Hunk, babe, are you awake?" Keith asked as he stared at his darkened ceiling. It had to be at least 4 in the morning, but he didn't care enough to turn his head to take a look at his alarm clock. Hunk was warm and comfortable at his side, cuddled against him in Keith's cramped single bed.

"Yeah, I'm awake." Hunk mumbled, a hand coming up to brush the hair out of Keith's face. "Why?"

"I was just wondering..." Keith whispered, hesitating for a second. "If I had asked you about what Lotor told me about Allura, would you have believed me?"

A deep sigh escaped Hunk, tickling Keith's neck, as he thought on his answer. "I don't think I would. I've known her for a few years, and Lotor and his fans have tried to drag me away from her too, and she supported me through all of it, so I'd have a hard time believing she could have been a bad, manipulative person."

"Then what would you do if you hadn't? What if you didn't know the first thing about her, except what she posts online?" Keith asked as he rolled to his side, facing the other man.

"I… would listen to what you have to say. Then, I would talk to Allura, try to find some of the guys she dated other than Lotor, talk to them, and then take what I found back to you, and hope we could all come to a mutual understanding. Like… I don't like passing judgment based on rumors."

"I try not to, usually. I just don't know what came over me this time."

"Hey, it's okay. Shiro is your best friend. You were just worried. But… next time you're struggling with a dilemma like this, come talk to me, okay? I'll help you out."

"'Kay." Keith yawned. "Thanks Hunk. Good night."

"Good night, Keith."

"Allura?" Shiro tried, speaking into the receiver of his cell phone.

"Shiro, ohmigod! You took forever! Is Keith okay? What did the doctors say?" Allura's voice came from the other side of the line. She sounded concerned. Scared. Panicked, even.

"We… never arrived at the hospital?" He hesitated.

"WHAT?!"

"No, wait, shit, I mean he woke up before we got there, and he told us what was wrong with him."

"Right, and he can just tell what's going on?" Allura asked. She didn't sound too impressed.

"Well, yeah. He got really stressed. Like, a panic attack… And he passed out. Simple as that. Because we're dating."

"Because we're _dating_?" She asked, disbelief dominant in her voice.

"Yeah. Apparently your ex didn't come after me, like we expected. He just booked a shoot with Keith about a month ago, and he just put the most horrible ideas about you into his head, and he's just been mulling on it for weeks. It's been eating him from the inside."

"I can't believe I used to date that guy." Allura sighed in exasperation. "To think that he would stoop so low."

"It's okay Allura, there's no way you could have known it would go like this. It's not fair to beat yourself up over this, so please don't. I promise I'll be better than him."

A chuckle came from the other side of the line. "That's not a high bar to raise, honey."

'Honey'. The idea that Allura would refer to him as such still reddened his cheeks, quickened his heartbeat and made the hairs on his neck stand on end.

"Shiro, listen… If you don't want to go public with this, with what happened to Keith and all, and the chance of Lotor losing his shit, I understand."

"No, I still want to. I don't care about Lotor or what he might do. I love you, and I want the world to know. If you'll let me, that is."

"Trust me, I'll let you. But what about Keith?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll talk to him in the morning. We might come over later tomorrow if you don't mind."

"I don't mind. I actually want to see him in person after what he pulled earlier."

"I completely understand." Shiro chuckled. "So… uh… good night, I guess?"

"Right. Good night, love."

"Good night, sweetheart." It was still so alien to him; being in an intimate, romantic relationships, being called 'honey', 'love' and 'sweetheart', and calling his partner 'honey', 'love' and 'sweetheart' in return. It felt alien, but it felt good.

It felt right.

It was 11 in the morning by the time Shiro and Keith were on the bus to Allura's apartment again. Hunk had gone home about an hour earlier, but not before making breakfast and ensuring the three of them were well fed and ready to tackle the day. Especially Keith. It was sweet how concerned he was for his well being, Keith thought. He wasn't used to all this love and affection being directed at him. Even Shiro wasn't as hands-on as Hunk was. He would have to make it up to his boyfriend, someday. Maybe with some grand gesture, like in the movies. But that would have to wait for now. There was something else on his mind altogether.

"About last night…" Keith started, glancing at the man sitting across from him. "You said you used to have a boyfriend, right? That wasn't just my pounding skull talking to me?"

"Nope, that was all me." Shiro said, smiling sheepishly. "But yeah, I had a boyfriend in high school."

"And not just because you were 'bi-curious'?"

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm a full-blown bisexual." Shiro said as his smile became more confident.

"So, then, why didn't you tell me?" Keith asked.

Shiro only shrugged. "It never came up."

"Dude, I came out to you!" Keith hissed, only not to shout on a bus full of people. "I'd call that 'bringing it up'!"

"Hey, that was your moment. I didn't want to make it about myself."

Keith groaned in frustration. "While that's really sweet and all, it really didn't occur to you that telling me about this thing we have in common, being attracted to men, might make me feel better about myself? I mean, in all the time we've spent together, I've never once seen you look at a guy the way you look at Allura. There's no way I could have just guessed."

Shiro stared at Keith, a shocked, nervous smile on his face. "Yeah, you make a valid point there. And, I mean, I hope this thing with Allura is going to be long term, it would have taken even longer for you to find out… I'm sorry, Keith."

"It's okay." Keith said, smiling sadly as he patted Shiro's knee. "But seriously though, I'm happy for you and Allura. I've only ever seen you guys be good for each other."

"Thanks, Keith. You have no idea what that means to me. Now, if I'm not mistaken, this is our stop."

"Keith!" Allura yelled when she opened the door, flinging her arms around the shorter man's shoulders, almost immediately pulling back to get a better look at him. He still wasn't looking his best, but definitely better than last night. "I'm so glad you're okay." She whispered as she pulled him into a more gentle hug this time. "You really scared us there, you know?"

"Yeah." Keith mumbled. "I, uh, I have a rough idea. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pass out."

"I don't think anyone means to pass out." Shiro joked, trying to make light of the situation, but quickly swallowed his words when the two glanced up at him, a near identical unimpressed pout on both their faces. "I'll be quiet."

"I hope you don't mind, Keith, but Shiro called me last night to tell me about your situation… Nearly gave him a heart attack when he told me you guys never made it to the hospital." She spoke as she gently punched Shiro in the arm. "He told me Lotor talked to you."

"Boy did he…" Keith mumbled under his breath, glancing away from her, still feeling like he had somehow betrayed her. "I… I know I shouldn't have trusted him. I knew you'd never do anything bad to Shiro, but there always was this tiny seed of doubt that something _might_ go wrong, and it wrecked me."

"Keith, no. Don't blame yourself. None of this is your fault, and you know it. I just wanted to warn you, because it might happen again. Especially when Shiro and I make our relationship public."

"I'll be ready for him this time." Keith said, his eyes full with newfound determination. "I'll know he's a lying sack of shit and shouldn't be trusted."

Allura giggled, for the first time that day. "I appreciate the sentiment, Keith. Approaching people outside of the internet usually isn't his way of doing things, though. He'll be unpredictable to any of us from here on out."

Keith only shrugged. "I tend not to think too far ahead myself. Unpredictability is just the way I roll."

"If you say so, Keith." Allura said, smiling ever so endearingly. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"After what I did, I'll do just about anything to make it up to you." Keith said, fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves.

"Then would you take the picture for our announcement?" She asked again, offering Keith her camera. It was nearly identical to his own, with the exception of her more expensive and high-end lense and flash diffuser.

Keith smiled and gratefully took the camera in both hands. "Where do you want this taken?"

Allura took Shiro's hand and lead him to the ceiling-high windows, overlooking the city skyline. "Here is fine."

Keith nodded and got ready, bringing the viewfinder to his eye. "Come on, Shiro, smile. Do something, no need to be nervous." He encouraged.

"Uh, well, okay." Shiro mumbled when Keith went back to find the two of them through the lense again.

The next thing he heard was a loud whoop and giggle from Allura as Shiro swept her off her feet, cradling her in his arms like the princess she was. Keith chuckled as he clicked the shutter what had to have been at least ten times. He smiled genuinely, unlike last night, when he still worried for Shiro's general well being. No, this time it felt right. They were friends. Close ones, after only a few months.

And Keith would never let anyone try to tear them apart ever again.


	14. Chapter 14

"Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks!" Lotor shouted from his darkened bedroom, wringing his phone in his hands, twisting the device until the sound of the screen cracking snapped him from his furious trance.

"Uh-oh, he's using his boarding school swears again." Ezor mumbled from the corner of the couch she was comfortably nestled into, her girlfriend's head resting in her lap. "I wonder who called him Legolas this time..."

Zethrid quirked her eyebrow as she scrolled through her phone. "Uh, babe? I don't think it's gonna be that simple this time." She whispered, turning her phone for Ezor to see.

"Oh. Yeah. This could be bad."

"Axca, get me my backup phone!" Lotor called from his room, not even making a move to get up and get it himself.

Axca, however, only rolled her eyes.

"Axca!" Oh, great. Now he was whining.

She huffed. The young woman stood up from where she sat, throwing her magazine to the coffee table. "I'm not getting you your backup phone!" She called into the room. "You're emotional and you're not thinking straight. If you post anything now, you'll just look petty. _Again_. Your mom hired us to keep you safe and your reputation spotless, so that's exactly what we're going to do." Axca huffed as she snatched the remains of Lotor's broken smartphone from his hand.

"Okay, fine. Back to the drawing board, I guess." Lotor huffed as he let himself fall backwards onto his bed.

"That's more like it. Make sure to run your next master plan by us before you put it into action." With that, Axca turned on her heel to leave the man in his bedroom. However, she stopped in her tracks and sighed. "Look, it's not like we want to be this hard on you, Lotor, but your family really can't use any more bad press than they've already had. It's really not fair that your parents' company's credibility rests on your shoulders as well, but that's just the way things are right now."

"That's the way things have always been." Lotor mumbled, smiling bitterly. "I'm sorry, Axca. About earlier. You're just doing your job, and you're doing it well."

A tender smile crept to Axca's lips at that. "You're not doing so bad yourself, Lotor."

"Thank you."

* * *

The new year had just started, and everyone in the management department of Altea Infrastructure knew what that meant. New policies for the many counties the company worked for, and the permits they needed in order to do that work. All week long, project managers, secretaries, Hell, even Coran and Allura, were on the phone with county clerks that were in no particular rush to explain their new policies to them, frantically taking notes as information came in droves or not at all. There was no in between.

'Nightmare week', as most people at Altea Infrastructure's management endearingly called it, had been an idea of Alfor, Allura's father, back when the company wasn't as big. The idea was to get as much information as possible on new policies for the permits the company needed to do its work in the very first week of the year. That way, project managers wouldn't have to look for the information later in the year when they would need it, but have the information at their fingertips almost immediately, which would make for more accurate quotations being sent to counties and clients and a more streamlined process throughout the remainder of the year. Kind of like ripping off a band aid.

Allura sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of her nose when she was put on hold for what had to have been the fiftieth time that day. That was, when her phone rang as a second call came in. "WHAT?!" She snapped into the receiver after snatching the horn from the machine not too carefully.

"Uh, Allura?" Her secretary tried.

"Oh my god, Shay, I'm so sorry. I'm just wound a little tight, I guess. I was so looking forward to going out to dinner with Shiro tonight, but at this rate I'll miss it by…" She glanced at her rose gold wristwatch. Shit. "Three hours." Allura huffed as she buried her face in the crook of her elbow, leaning over her desk.

"Missing dinner in general will do that to a person, but I get what you mean." Shay chuckled, friendly as ever. This woman must have been an angel that somehow got stranded on Earth, Allura reasoned. "Speaking of which, there's a delivery boy here for you. Said he brought noodles and dumplings from your favorite place."

"I don't remember ordering dinner, but at this point I'll eat anything. Send him in."

"That's the spirit." Shay encouraged. Allura could hear the smile on her face before her secretary hung up.

When only a few seconds later, the hardwood door to her office opened, she should have known what Shay was up to. In the opening of the door stood none other than Shiro, holding a thin plastic bag in one hand, and sheepishly waving with the other, and when Allura looked further, she saw her secretary wearing a mischievous grin on her face, giving her boss the thumbs up.

Allura smiled and shook her head in what had to be disbelief. "Takashi Shirogane, you are a sight for sore eyes." She said as she stood up to make her way over to him, softly kissing him on the lips before nudging the door closed with her foot. "I'm so sorry, I didn't have the time to call you. How long were you waiting for me?"

Shiro thought for a second. "Hm, maybe five minutes? Coran managed to get a hold of me, so I got the three of us dinner. I already delivered his, but he insisted I eat mine with you. Oh, and I gave the prawn crackers to your secretary, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. It's the least we could do."

"So, how is 'nightmare week' coming along?" Shiro asked curiously as he placed the bag with their dinner on Allura's desk, pulling up a chair next to hers when the woman sat down herself.

"Well, we're not as behind on things as we have been other years, but it's only Monday. A lot can happen in a few days." Allura sighed, ignoring the red lights on her telephone in favor of taking a bite out of a pork bun. "Oh my God, this is exactly what I needed." She said as she leaned back against the tall backrest of her chair. "Thanks, Shiro."

However, their moment of reprieve was cut short when Allura's phone started ringing again. A quick glance at the display had her groaning in frustration. "Oh, no. Not her."

"Who is 'her'?" Shiro asked, reaching for the horn, taking hold of it but not yet lifting it off the machine.

"Some clerk down at city hall whom I snapped at for one second just before lunch, and she's been working against me for the last six hours."

"So, 'bad cop', huh?" Shiro joked.

"I guess you could say so." Allura sighed.

Then, a mischievous smile came across Shiro's face. "Watch this. You might wanna get your notes ready." He lifted the horn off the machine and pressed a button to put the call on the speakers. "Hello, this is Takashi Shirogane speaking on behalf of Allura of Altea Infrastructure." He all but purred into the receiver. "Sorry I took a while, I'm not entirely sure how this phone works yet. How can I help you?"

Allura quickly stuck another pork bun in her mouth and pulled her laptop into her lap. She made a point of it to hide her face behind the screen; If Shiro's tone managed to make her blush like this, she couldn't imagine what it did to the middle aged lady on the other end of the line.

"Well have I- Where is miss Altea? I have the information she asked for."

Allura was about to speak up when Shiro waved his hand at her, urging her not to say anything.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I'm afraid Allura is in a board meeting and will be for the next two hours. Unless you're prepared to wait that long, I'm sure I could relay the information to her. Let me just get my notes real quick, miss…?" Shiro trailed off, gesturing for Allura to take the notes she needed.

"Mrs. Sanda." The clerk emphasized.

Okay, so maybe she wasn't as into Shiro's attempts to get in her good graces as they thought she was, but nevertheless, Shiro got Allura farther than she came with the woman on her own.

"Sorry, mrs. Sanda. Wouldn't want to make your husband angry."

"Wife."

Oops. "Alright, I have my notes." Shiro looked up when Allura handed him a sticky note with questions. Nodding, and reading them off one by one. "So, how exactly is your permit policy changing, and will it have any impact on our scheduled maintenance work on the internet cables running under Park Avenue?"

* * *

Shiro let out a deep sigh as he placed the horn back on the machine, roughly an hour later. "Wow, I don't think I can remember the last time I've been on the phone with someone for so long."

"That's what you're surprised about?" Allura asked, eyes wide with disbelief. "I can't believe you got through to her!"

Shiro laughed and shrugged. "You can be bad cop all you want, but if there's no good cop to even things out, you're not going to get the answers you need. First lesson at the academy." Though the smile on his face quickly dissipated when his eyes fell on the bag of food that was still standing on Allura's desk, cooling down. "I think our food is as good as cold."

"No need to worry. Ko's food is still pretty great after it's cooled down. Here." Allura said, offering Shiro a soup dumpling between her chopsticks.

Shiro smiled broadly as he ate the dumpling off of her chopsticks, leaning further to give her a quick peck on the lips, only to pause. "Holy shit, this is amazing." He spoke through a full mouth."

"Told you." Allura giggled. "I still have three more calls to make. Would you mind _sticking_ around to help me with those as well?" She asked as she flashed Shiro an apologetic smile, holding up a potsticker for him.

He let out a hearty laugh. "Yeah, of course." He said as he took the dumpling Allura offered. "By the time we're done, we should be all out of dinner."

"Alright, let's do it then!"

* * *

Keith nervously stood in front of Hunk's family's front door, holding a bouquet of colorful flowers for the other man's mother. That was normal, right? Keith had never had dinner with a boyfriend's family before. Truth be told, he never thought he would. Up until a month and a half ago, Keith wasn't even sure he was capable of love at all!

He sighed as he finally brought himself to ring the damn doorbell. A few moments, there was nothing. Then, he heard the door to the hallway open, followed by stumbling and the playful laughter of children. Oh boy, this would be a handful.

Eventually, the door was opened by a pair of girls. Twins, ten to twelve years old. They looked like the rowdy, tomboyish type from what Keith could tell. They each wore bandanas around their foreheads, matching Hunk's. They had to be his little sisters.

"Henry! Your boyfriend's here!" The one on the left called into what Keith presumed was the living room.

"'Henry'?" Keith snorted, hiding a smile behind his hand. Was that really Hunk's name? It wasn't long until the man himself came to the door.

"Thanks, Hannah." He said as he carefully nudged the girl out of the way and pressed a quick kiss to Keith's cheek. "Hey Keith."

"Hey Henry." Keith joked, making the girls chortle, a dopey grin spreading across his own face as he patted the man's chest.

"And thanks for reminding me why I always introduce myself as 'Hunk'." He chuckled. "Come on in!" He said as he ushered Keith inside and closed the door behind them. "So, you've already met Hannah and Heidi."

"Hi!" The girls said in unison, each raising a hand to greet Keith.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna be able to tell you guys apart." Keith admitted, scratching the back of his neck apologetically.

"That's okay. Most of our teachers can't, either." The one on the right (Heidi?) said as she patted Keith's shoulder reassuringly.

"We usually react to the other's name too." The one on the left (who, by principle of elimination, had to be Hannah) finished, giving Keith a big smile and a thumbs up.

Hunk only smiled, placing a hand on Keith's hip. "Ready for the rest of the family?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Keith smiled as Hunk took his hand, leading him into the living room.


	15. Chapter 15

Keith's family had never been a big one. Just him, his mom and his dad. His father was a fireman and his mother was, and still is, a high-ranking officer in the navy. He was so proud to grow up in a family of heroes; _his_ heroes.

Sure, he didn't have them around at all times, especially his mother who would be gone for months at a time, but she and his father were always out there doing important things. They were saving people. He didn't mind it that much, there was lots of stuff he could do on his own, after all! He could help out. And every time they came back to him, they would tell him the most thrilling stories about their adventures both close to home or around the world. Keith was truly, honestly and genuinely _happy_.

And then there were two of them.

Hunk's family, on the other hand, was huge compared to his own. It wasn't like their suburban home was small or anything, but that didn't make Keith any less surprised at the amount of people they managed to cram into one living room.

Of course, there were Hunk, Hannah and Heidi, Hunk's older sister Halina with her husband and her daughter, Jenny, Hunk's parents, a pair of grandparents and a handful of aunts and uncles from either side of the family with their various children. They were all there to meet _him_. To judge or approve him in some kind of way they might not even be aware of. There really were no words to describe what he was feeling, other than 'overwhelming'.

"I can't help but feel like I'm somehow intruding on something." Keith mumbled, joking as he tried to take in the many new names and faces, scratching the back of his neck nervously. Someone must have snatched the bouquet when he wasn't paying attention, but that wasn't the object of his crippling anxiety right now. What if he forgot someone's face?

What if he called an aunt or uncle or cousin by the wrong name and they would hate him forever and he and Hunk would have to break up?! Someone must have noticed he was freaking out, as a gentle hand landed on his shoulder, bringing him back to Earth.

"Keith, honey, would you mind helping out Henry, grandma and me in the kitchen?" Hunk's mom asked him. A gentle and reassuring smile on her face. The very same smile he'd seen on Hunk's face a hundred times before.

"Yes, I think I'd like that." He squeaked, his eyes pleading the tall woman to get him out of there.

* * *

It was a hard transition between the noisy living room and the relatively more quiet kitchen, where the only sounds came from the chopping board and the 80-something year old woman chatting with her grandson, Keith felt like he could actually take a breath.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Hunk's mother asked Keith. He must've been white as a sheet from all the nerves and stimuli. Any other day, he had Not Freaking People Out™ down to a science, but there were only so many things he had control over, and his complexion was not one of them.

"I'm so sorry about that." Keith huffed, still gasping for air. "I'm not exactly good with…" 'people.' He finished in his head. "I'm fine, though. I'll be fine."

"If you're sure…" Hunk's mother mumbled, a single eyebrow raised.

A glint in her eyes told Keith that she wasn't buying his admittedly weak act. One way or another, she would wring the truth out of him, as mothers do. However, when and how, were still a mystery to him.

"Could you help me cut some ingredients? Henry tells me you know your way around knives."

"Always good to know my reputation precedes me." Keith smiled cockily as his confidence made a sudden return. He took a kitchen knife from the block. Of course Hunk had told his mom about the quote unquote "knife show" Keith had put on for him only a few weeks prior, borrowing the extensive collection of knives he stored for his mother. But showing off a handful of edgy tricks with his mom's bowie knife was in a league of its own compared to what Hunk and his family had been doing for years. Keith sometimes had trouble chopping up a carrot

"Well then, good to know the only thing in my kitchen that's tougher than you is the beef." Hunk's mother smiled as she placed a slab of beef on the cutting board in front of him. "You do eat meat, right? I forgot to ask Henry, but he never mentioned you were a vegetarian or anything."

"Don't worry, ma. As far as I'm aware, Keith will eat pretty much anything." Hunk called over his shoulder. A harsh statement from any other mouth, but Keith caught the fond smile on Hunk's face and the loving look in his eyes. He knew there was no venom there.

Keith, however, leaned all the way in.

"Yeah, well, three years of living with Shiro and his cooking will do that to a man." He joked as he got to work on dicing the beef.

Hunk's mother was right, it _was_ tough, but he much preferred the peace and quiet of the kitchen to the cacophony of the living room. He stuck the landing. And so, half an hour of arm-wrecking saw motions and three nicked fingers later, the beef on his cutting board had transformed into neat, little cubes, ready to be cooked for dinner.

It was then that a small hand pulled on the hem of Hunk's shirt. Beside him stood Jenny, barely four years old, holding a robot toy roughly half her size.

"Uncle Hunk…" She mumbled softly, her eyebrows knitted in a frown on her forehead. "My GoLion Bot broke. Can you fix it?"

"Yeah, we can take a look at it. Go on, take a seat." Hunk said as he carefully took the toy robot from her grip and placed it on the kitchen table before he quickly ducked out to get his toolkit.

Keith couldn't help but smile as he admired the robot from the other end of the table. He remembered fondly how his dad would rent VHS tapes of this exact show and binge watch them together on the weekends when his mom was out at sea. He even remembered getting this very toy on his seventh birthday, though it had long since been lost.

"Mind if I pick this up?" He asked, watching carefully as the girl clambered onto the chair, and then the table, where she sat cross-legged.

"Not at all!" She said, a tone of pride in her voice, as if her sadness for the broken toy had completely disappeared.

Keith smiled as he excitedly picked up the toy robot, but something seemed to be off. It didn't seem to have the same heft to it as the toy he owned as a kid. But what about a toy like this could be so heavy? Immediately, Keith turned it in his hands, facing its back to him and flipped the battery compartment open. He raised an eyebrow, looking at the girl, who proceeded to hush him and whisper.

"I like to watch him work."

Keith only smiled and nodded. He had to admit, he loved watching the man work as well, even though he'd only ever seen him cook. Keith wondered for a second. Had Hunk ever mentioned having a knack for mechanics? If he was that good at it, he'd have to have told him at some point, right? He snapped out of his daze when the man stepped back into the room with an expensive looking toolkit neatly tucked under his arm.

"Alright, let's see what's up with the Universe's Legendary Defender." He said cheerfully as he opened the small case.

Both Keith and the little girl watched in awe as Hunk slowly and carefully unscrewed the various parts of the toy, lifting them from their place and putting them down next to the main body parts before closely inspecting the wiring.

"Hm, I don't know Jenny, nothing seems to be wrong with it." Hunk commented before expertly screwing the toy back together. "Though I'd recommend sticking a battery in the back." He said, ruffling the girl's hair and handing the robot back to her. "Now go play and be good, okay? I'll teach you how to build stuff when you're a little older. I promise."

The girl giggled a quick "Thanks, uncle Hunk!" as she hopped off the table and ran back into the living room.

"Cute kid." Keith smiled, looking back up at Hunk

"Sorry about that." Hunk apologized. "Ever since she found out I have a master's degree in robotics, she's been bugging me to teach her about building robots."

Keith snapped his gaze up to Hunk so fast, it should have given him a whiplash. "A master's degree in robotics?" he nearly hissed. "Then how come you're cooking for events and not making bank on building robots?"

Hunk simply shrugged. "Eh, halfway through I'd kind of seen it with the whole robot thing, but my teachers kept encouraging me to at least get my degree, because apparently I'm good at it. So I did. And, Idunno, it's a solid buck to fall back on if, for whatever reason, my restaurant flops. I mean, I don't have one yet, but I'm saving up to start one. I mean, cooking is about love to me, and no amount of money will ever stand in the way of doing what I love. I mean, within reason, of course."

Keith felt his heart leap in his chest as he spied the sheer amount of love and passion Hunk's eyes were overflowing with.

He'd never been more in love.

* * *

It was two hours later, give or take, when the family gathered around a row of tables to eat their dinner. Keith was comfortably seated between Hunk and his grandmother when he finally dug into the steaming hot stew and couldn't contain a delighted hum.

"Hunk, seriously, this is the best of your cooking that I've had so far."

He noticed Hunk looking away, growing flustered at the compliment. "Aw, gee, thanks Keith, but it's really grandma you should be complimenting. It's her recipe after all."

"Nonsense!" The elderly woman shouted, reaching over Keith to swat at her grandson. "You boys worked just as hard as I did. You should be proud of yourselves."

Keith couldn't help it when a giggle escaped him. "Thanks, Mrs. uuh…" Shit. There we go. Forgetting names already. "Uuh…" Keith continued on as he mentally beat himself up for forgetting his new boyfriend's grandma's last name.

"You can just call me grandma, sweetheart." she said with a broad smile as she firmly pinched Keith's cheek.

"Uh, thanks… I don't think I've ever had a grandma." Keith stammered, staring at the little woman more than a little surprised she wasn't offended at him forgetting her name in what had to be less than three hours.

"You're more than welcome."

It was then, that Hunk's father spoke up. Everyone seemed to neatly wait for their turn to interrogate him, he noted. He briefly wondered if Hunk's mom went into the living room while he was in the kitchen, firmly instructing her family not to overwhelm him again, before deciding that's exactly what she had done and making a mental note to thank her later.

"So, Keith, what do your parents do?"

Keith froze at the question, placed his cutlery on the table and folded his hands in his lap, fidgeting with his fingers.

"My, uh, my mom is in the navy. I can never really remember her exact rank, but she's a pretty high-ranking officer. Maybe you guys could meet her, next time she's in town." Keith offered awkwardly, hoping the man would leave it at that.

But of course, he didn't.

"That'd be great. We'd love to meet your parents! What does your dad do for a living?"

"My dad?" Keith asked, stalling for time as he tried to come up with an answer that wouldn't set off every alarm bell in every parent in the room.

He felt Hunk's gaze bore a hole in him as well. He hadn't talked about his parents to his boyfriend at all, while Hunk almost always chattered away about his family. He couldn't say he was surprised the man was curious. Keith drew a deep breath before finally stating, "My dad was a firefighter."

"Wow, that's really cool!" Hunk's dad said, smiling broadly. "And you're a photographer, right? What's your specialty?"

Keith breathed again. He was back on solid ground. Talking about his family situation was always difficult, but talking about photography he could do for hours upon hours.

"Well, when I was little I wanted to be a photojournalist," He said, smiling fondly as he thought back on his childhood dream. "but with the way papers and magazines are struggling to get their funding, they'd rather stick with the experienced people they already had rather than take on a rookie intern with no 'real experience'. I mean, I can't really blame them. But lately I've been making a nice living with wedding photography and taking odd jobs for freelance models. And, you know, now that I'm spending so much time with your son, it might be time for me to branch out to food photography."

Keith's gaze shifted to Hunk, and he smiled when an enthusiastic grin took over his boyfriend's face.

"You would do that for me?" He asked.

"Of course. Anything for you."

* * *

As the party wound down and people started to leave, Keith felt like he could start to breathe again.

"How are you holding up?" Hunk asked, wrapping an arm firmly around Keith's shoulders. No doubt he had noticed the tired, yet slightly relieved look on Keith's face.

"You know, fine. The interrogation wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be." Keith chuckled, nudging Hunk's side with his elbow.

"Oh, you should have seen my dad when Halina brought her first boyfriend over. We never saw him again."

"Hunk, there's something you should know." Keith said resolutely, as if ripping off a bandaid in one swift movement. He looked up at his boyfriend's face and saw he was all ears. Good. "I don't generally like talking about this. It's kind of a buzzkill, so I'm glad your dad didn't push for answers, but…" Keith sighed and took a deep, shaking breath. "My father is dead."

"Keith?" Hunk pulled back, turning to look Keith in his face.

His vision blurred as tears welled up in his eyes and his throat closed, unable to swallow the lump in it. He tried his best to keep it in, but sooner rather than later the tears came spilling down his cheeks.

"He died in a house fire trying to rescue an elderly lady. According to his teammates, she couldn't walk fast enough, and dad couldn't just pick her up because she was too frail. They were almost at the door when the building collapsed around them."

"Keith, I'm sorry…" Hunk whispered. He tightly wrapped his arms around Keith in an attempt to comfort him. "How old were you?"

"Nine… It's okay… It's okay. I'm okay." Keith croaked around the lump in his throat, rushing to dry his own tears. Hunk radiated warmth. Always did. And so, apparently, did his family. He hadn't felt this comforted since the last time he hugged his mom, almost four months ago.

"You don't have to be okay, Keith. It's okay not to be okay. And losing your dad at such an early age is very hard."

Both their gazes snapped up to find Hunk's mother standing only a few feet away. Her hand came up to brush the hair out of his face.

"If there's ever anything you need, you let us know. That's not a request, that's an order." The woman said firmly.

Keith laughed through his tears.

"Yes, ma'am."


End file.
